The Beginning
by kyuubigan
Summary: A story of romance, intrigue and adventure. Pairings:NaruxHina, SasuxSaku, ShikaxTema, InoxChou, NejxTen. Other pairings will be revealed.
1. Chapter 1

A/N-This is my first fanfic and God help me it's a Naruto fanfic. Seeing as this is my first attempt with this, I would like you to give me your honest opinion's in your reviews. I would especially appreciate any advice, corrections, and tips on how to improve my writing. Ok, enough chitchat, let's get this started.

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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The night air smelled of smoke as the lone figure looked on. In the distance the compound began to glow brighter as the fire spread from building to building. Screams could be heard as the residents fled. The figure simply stood there watching the spectacle, mentally counting the people as they left the compound. Nodding to himself after confirming the numbers in his head, the figure started forming handsigns at a rapid pace.

As soon as he finished, the compound exploded as an ominous, glowing red obelisk pierced into the heaven's at the heart of what remained of the fortress. Satisfied, the man reached behind him, untying the his headband. The figure then tossed it to the ground, turned his back to the glowing pillar and vanished. The only trace of the man even existing was the headband emblazoned with the symbol for Iwagakure.

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"Come on, Kakashi-sensei! We have to return to Konoha as soon as possible!"

The silver haired jounin sighed wearily. Ever since they found Sasuke beaten to within an inch of his life at the old Uchiha compound, Sakura had been reluctant to leave his side. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted to be the first person to greet Sasuke as he awoke from his coma. Kakashi had hoped that a mission would get her mind off of him, but it only made her even more determined to be with Sasuke again.

_Jeez, hasn't she thought about anything else lately?_ Kakashi wandered to himself as the walked.

"You should relax Sakura," Kakashi stated, "Sasuke will be there when you get back."

"Yeah Sakura-chan! All you've done is sit at his bedside staring at him. How about when we get back I treat you to Ichi-"

That was all Naruto managed to say before his sensei gave the hand signal to hide. Without hesitation they disappeared into the thick foliage bordering the large road they had been traveling on for the past few days.

_Seems there's someone up ahead. And he's not on the main road. Something's wrong, _Kakashi thought, signaling his teammates to move up quietly. After creeping up a few yards, the three Leaf-nin began to hear something. As they got closer, the sound became a more distinct, growling noise that stopped at even intervals. When they finally reached the source of all this trouble, Kakashi let out a sigh of relief as he realized.

"Snoring.", Kakashi whispered to himself. He stood up and walked into a small clearing in the dense plant life. Laying there was a boy probably no older than Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi studied the boy for a second, noting his unkempt auburn hair.

_Looks a bit like..._, Kakashi thoughts trailed off as they began to focus on his old sensei, the Yondaime. In truth, the young man's face did bear a strong resemblance to Minato. In terms of height, the silver haired man guessed that he was a little taller than Naruto, though he probably weighed a bit more. Kakashi quickly surveyed the kid's clothes. He was wearing a brown leather jacket over a tight red shirt, with a pair of black pants that tapered at the ankle. Kakashi noted the boy's sandals sitting next to him. After summing the sleeping kid up, the jounin gave the all clear signal, Sakura and Naruto quickly appearing at his side.

"THIS is the reason we had to hide?" Sakura's stated, her voice filled with irritation at this delay.

"Wake up, baka!!"

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Hino woke up with a start. He stayed on his back as he quickly took in the sight that lay in front of him. Three people stood above him. The next thing he knew he felt himself being pulled up by the collar of his jacket rather violently as a he found himself face to face with a pair of glaring green eyes bordered by bubblegum pink hair. Hino could feel the rage radiating from this girl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?! Quit wasting my time!" The girl screamed in his face.

_Wow she's pissed, _Hino thought to himself. He didn't even know what he did.

"Neh, Sakura-chan. You don't have to be like that."

Hino looked to his the side, noticing right away a nervous looking blonde boy wearing an orange and black jumpsuit. Behind him was a taller man with silver hair, wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, with a head band covering his left eye.

_Their ninja...and from Konoha no less. I really should have hid myself a bit better. Oh well I guess it can't be helped. _

"Oi. You mind letting go of my jacket? You're stretching the collar,"

"Nani!?!"

The girl raised her fist, and started to come down. Suddenly, the silver haired ninja had her by her raised fist, his movement barely noticeable.

"Watch it, Sakura. We gain nothing by attacking this innocent man. It's best to just apologize and be on our way."

"Yeah, Sakura-chan. He didn't do anything to us. Just let him be," the blonde stated.

The girl let out a disappointed grunt as she threw Hino back onto the ground. The girl that stood over him was wearing a red tank and a pair of black shorts, with flaps of tan cloth covering the shorts.

"You have anger issues, lady," Hino whispered to himself.

"What was that!?!," the girl yelled, fixing her angry green eyes on him.

"Nothing."

"Good..."

"Sorry about that," the masked ninja said, "it's just Sakura here has reason's to get back, and this little interlude is starting to get on her nerves."

"Oh I don't mind. I-"

Before HIno could finish the four of them were instantly surrounded by eight cloaked figures.

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A/N-And that's the end of chapter 1. I'll try to post again sometime soon. Tell me what you think so far!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N-This is my first fanfic and God help me it's a Naruto fanfic. Seeing as this is my first attempt with this, I would like you to give me your honest opinion's in your reviews. I would especially appreciate any advice, corrections, and tips on how to improve my writing. Ok, lets continue.

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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"Hello, Hino," muttered one of the cloaked figures.

_Well this is interesting_... Kakashi pondered to himself, calmly observing the eight black cloaks that now surrounded him and his students.

"Hello, Kitsu," Hino replied, picking himself up from where Sakura had dropped him moments ago.

"Who are these guys?," Naruto quietly inquired under his breath.

"Iwakagure Black Ops," Hino answered without missing a beat.

Upon closer inspection, Naruto noticed the masks that the figures were wearing looked exactly like the ones ANBU members wore in Konoha. He silently gulped as he realized the situation that he was in. Sakura, Kakashi, this guy, and himself were surrounded by eight elite shinobi. Black Ops; the best of the best. Naruto began to sweat when the man they had found on the side of the road broke the silence.

"I'm not going back, you know,"

The cloaked figure responded unemotionally "You don't have a choice in the matter, Hino. You're unique, and having you fall into enemy hands is unacceptable."

"Quit referring to me as some sort of weapon," Hino snapped, his amber eyes glaring at the masked man before him.

"Of course you are," the Black Ops ninja rebuked,"all shinobi are are weapons used to fulfill the will of the village. You know tha-"

The cloaked ninja was interrupted by Hino's fist slamming hard into his solar plexus. The man started gagging, vomit poring from behind his mask. The only thing keeping him from collapsing was Hino's arm.

_So this kid is a ninja. And a fast one at that. I barely noticed his attack_ Kakashi thought.

Hino lowered his arm, letting the man he had struck collapse to the ground. He turned slowly to face the Konoha ninja. The pink haired girl looked slightly shocked, probably at his speed. The blonde kid's jaw was scraping the ground, and the older one just stood there with no apparent emotions on his face.

"Don't move," Hino mouthed to them silently.

Hino arms suddenly flew into a flurry of handseals, ending them by slamming his fists into the ground.

"**Doton: Tajuu Doken no Jutsu!**"

Hands of pure soil suddenly sprouted everywhere, grabbing for anything within their grasp. Three of the cloaked figures were caught of gurad and quickly pulled to the ground, while the remaining four flew skyward, being pursued by thin round pillars with hands attatched at the top. Hino quickly formed more hand signs, not once losing sight of the Black Ops members that escaped his jutsu's grasp.

"**Horyuuidan no Jutsu!**"

As he finished, Hino belched a giant plume of fire from his mouth. The flame quickly took the form of a dragon, and began circling his airborne assailants. The dragon closed its grip on them, engulfing the four in flame. The dragon vanished as its smoldering victims fell into the grasp of the soil hands.

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Naruto was dumbstruck. He wasn't stupid, he knew how tough ANBU were supposed to be. But this kid with amber eyes and auburn hair managed to beat eight of them without even breaking a sweat! The guy didn't even look like a ninja!! His thoughts were interrupted by his sensei's voice.

"They said your name was Hino, right?"

"Nakamura Hino," the boy said while stripping the defeated Black Ops of their weapons.

"And I'm assuming," Kakashi continued, "that you are a missing-nin from Iwakagure."

"You assume correct," Hino replied nonchalantly.

A missing-nin. Like the members of Akatsuki. Like Orochimaru. Like Sasuke. Sakura couldn't help but see similarities between the one she loved and this young man before her. Both were apparent geniuses, both abandoned their villages. But she knew why Sasuke left, and he was back in Konoha now. She felt compelled to know this Hino's story as well.

"Why did you leave your village?," Sakura found herself asking, a tinge of worry in her voice.

Hino chuckled, "First you want to pummel me, than you worry about my motives? You're a weird one. Well, since you asked, I got fed up with being treated like I wasn't a person. After my friends joined ANBU, they...changed," he sighed, than continued, "So when my clan nominated me for ANBU, I decided I didn't want to be like that. So I left."

A wave of relief washed over the green eyed kunoichi. _At least he has a good reason for leaving_.

"By the way," Kakashi interjected, " My name is Hatake Kakashi."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!," the blonde shinobi exclaimed, "That fight was awesome! You've got to show me that earth jutsu you used!"

Hino smirked, turning to the pink haired girl, "and you are?"

"Sakura. Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, let's get back to Konoha. We've wasted enough time here."

_At least she never loses sight of her goal_ Kakashi thought with a sigh.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. It's rude to just leave like that," Naruto whined, but quickly followed wanting to see Sasuke as well.

Kakashi walked up next to Hino, sighing as he approached.

"You mind if I go back to Konoha with you?," Hino inquired.

"You're free to follow us," Kakashi started, his tone becoming icy, "but don't think that means I trust you. I lost a good friend in the war between our villages, and I know Iwakagure holds a grudge. Try anything funny, and you'll be killed on sight."

As the silver haired jounin finished he started walking, following his students, all Hino could do was shrug.

_At least they didn't kill me on the spot_ Hino thought as he jogged to catch up to his new traveling companions.

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So that's chapter two. Pretty good so far? Write a review and tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

AN-Nothing to say really, just read and review.

Disclaimer-Once again I do not own Naruto. If I did I, Naruto wouldn't be so dense and Hinata would be less shy.

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"So you're the missing-nin from Iwakagure?," Tsunade asked the young man standing before her. She had heard that a stranger had entered the village with team Kakashi. She summoned the jounin and he explained the situation. So she immediately ordered a squad of ANBU to escort the new arrival to her office. The Godaime knew all too well Iwakagure held a grudge because of the war. The war that cost her both her brother and her love. She couldn't help but be suspicious of someone from that village, especially a skilled shinobi.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the ambered eyed boy curtly responded. Hino knew he made a mistake taking out those Iwakagure Black Ops, revealing his abilities. But it couldn't be helped.

"You mind telling me your reasons for coming here?," Tsunade asked in a demanding tone.

Hino closed his eyes, took a breath and responded, "I merely wanted to rest in a bed for a couple of days, before heading back on the road. I mean no harm to Konoha or its denizens. I honestly don't want to fight anymore..."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this, intrigued,"Why don't you want to fight?"

"Honestly...," Hino sighed, then taking a stoic look,"I have no reason to fight. The friends I love aren't themselves anymore, and everyone in my village sees me as a weapon."

_He's just like Naruto..._ Tsunade thought to herself.

Suddenly, there was a soft rapping on the office door and a muffled called, "Tsunade-sensei!"

Tsunade looked up, "Enter!"

Hino turned his head to see who interrupted the meeting. As the figure entered the office, Hino's eyes suddenly widened and his jaw dropped.

It was at that moment that Hino's life became complicated.

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As she entered the room, Sakura couldn't help but smile at the raven haired man laying unconscious before her. Sasuke. He was finally back. Back in Konoha, where she knew exactly where he was. A small tear of joy escaped her eye as she sat next to the bed. She leaned on his bed as fatigue was about to overtake her...

"Sakura"

She quickly whipped her head, her gaze locking with a pair of onyx black eyes.

"Sasuke...-kun...," Sakura whimpered, her eyes spilling tears of joy. She smiled the biggest smile she had in over three years. She quickly lept, wrapping her arms strongly around his neck, never wanting to let go of him ever again. Her body shuddered with every sob. She felt a hand on her back, and opened her eyes to see him partially return her hug.

"I failed again,"Sakura raised her head to see him gazing at nothing,"I wasn't strong enough. I need to get stronger, and I can't do that here."

She felt him try to get up, trying to escape her grasp. Sakura tightened her arms, trying to prevent him from leaving.

"Let go Sakura."

"No..."

"Let go of me!!," Sasuke glared at her, his Sharingan activated.

"Nerver again!!!", She screamed, tears pouring down her face.

Sasuke stopped. He was honestly surpriesed at Sakura's outburst. He thought that she would hate him for how he treated her. He had hoped to break his bond to her.

"Why?," he asked, deactivating his Sharingan, a puzzled look on his face.

"Because...," Sakura whispered, moving closer to him, pulling him into a light kiss. Sasuke couldn't believe it. She still loved him after all he had done to her. Sakura still loved him.

She broke away, looking deeply into Sasuke's eyes, a light blush dusting both their faces. Then the unexpected happened.

Sasuke pulled her into a kiss, wrapping his powerful arms gently around her waist. Sakura's eyes widened, then shut as she returned the kiss in earnest. They were like that for God knows how long, until...

"Ahem"

Both Sasuke and Sakura snapped their heads to the door, blushing madly at seeing Kakashi leaning on the door frame and Naruto standing arms crossed, grinning from ear to ear.

"Welcome back, Sasuke-teme," Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke simply smirked, "Dobe."

_Well at least he's acting like his old self_ Kakashi mused, a smile hidden under his mask.

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Yamanaka Ino entered the Hokage's office only to be stricken dumb by the boy that stood before her. He was quite tall, but not huge. His unkempt auburn hair and piercing amber eyes immediately sent a shiver up her spine. She stood there for a moment, totally mesmerized by him.

"Ino!"

Ino snapped out of her trance and hurried over to Tsunade's desk, blushing out of embarrassment.

"H-here are the medical r-reports you wanted," the young girl stated.

"Thank you, Ino. That will be all," Tsunade responded, prompting a curt bow from Ino. Tsunade knew that her apprentice was totally enamored with the newcomer, and he apparently felt the same way.

Ino quickly left the office, but not before catching a glimpse of Hino's skintight red shirt and the muscular frame underneath. As she slammed the door behind her, Ino felt a light trickle run from her nose.

Hino was still staring at the door after Ino had left. Tsunade simply sighed, "If you're going to stay a couple of days, I would recommend the Dango Inn."

"Right. Dango Inn. Got it," Hino trailed off, walking in a daze towards the door.

_Who was that girl..._Hino pondered, _and why am I still thinking about her?_

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AN- I hope you enjoyed the romantic sap, but I wanted to get some of it out of the way now. Plus, I couldn't resist putting Sasuke and Sakura together, only to be interrupted by Kakashi and Naruto. Reviews are greatly appreciated!!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N-Sorry about last chapter. I'm really not that good at writing romantic scenes. Hopefully this chapter will be better.

Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto, no matter how many times I wish for it

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The night was surprisingly calm in Konoha as Uchiha Sasuke slept in his bed at the hospital. He had spent most of the day catching up with his old comrades, especially Naruto and Sakura. As Naruto kept bragging about how strong he'd become, Sasuke couldn't help but smile his first smile in years at the girl holding his hand. For once in his life, Uchiha Sasuke had forgotten about vengeance. He slept quietly, smiling at the sweet dream he was having about the pink haired girl that slept in a chair next to his bed.

"Sasuke-kun..."

Sasuke's eyes shot open immediately and instinctively scanned the room, his gaze fixing on the young women with flame orange hair ogling him through her glasses.

"Karin," Sasuke said in his icy tone. He was in no mood to see her.

She continued in a low tone, "Where have you been, Sasuke-kun? When we couldn't find you," her tone became flirty, "we thought Itachi had killed you for sure."

"Itachi...", Sasuke mutterd. Then it all rushed back to him. The hate. The pain. The lust for his older brother's blood. The need for revenge. Sasuke subconsciously activated his Sharingan as the hatred flowed through him. Karin grinned, knowing full well that mentioning Itachi would rile him up. She wanted Sasuke all to herself, and setting his mind back on revenge would accomplish her goal.

Sasuke was about to get up when he heard shuffling next to him. He looked to see a sleeping Sakura shifting in her chair. And for the first time in his life, Sasuke felt conflict. He felt indecision. On one hand, he could leave with Karin and coninue to hunt down Itachi following the same path he was on. On the other, he could stay here in Konoha with his friends, with Sakura. Hatred had been his lifeblood for so many years, and it was painful. But when he looked at Sakura, sleeping there so peacefully, that pain seemed to melt away.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun. That girl is far too ugly for you!," Karin snapped quietly. Sasuke gritted his teeth at this. For some reason the urge to rip Karin's head off entered his mind. But he was too weak from his battle with Itachi. Sasuke suddenly came up with an idea that honestly made him chuckle in his head.

"That's it," Sasuke proclaimed rather loudly, glaring at Karin with the Sharingan.

Karin grimaced, and in a hushed tone,"Sasuke-kun! What ar-"

"Sakura," he interrupted in an even louder register.

Sakura woke up instantly, her emerald eyes quickly taking in the scene before her.

Sakura spoke,"Sasuke-kun, what's going on?"

Karin gulped as Sasuke gave her an evil smirk. He then calmly stated, "She tried to have her way with me."

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Hino walked down the streets of Konoha, admiring the stars in the sky above. Despite the ANBU squad Tsunade had assigned to secretly watch him, Hino felt quite peaceful. His thoughts were interrupted when a large crashing sound rang through the silence. Hino instantly found himself surrounded by four ANBU agents with their swords at the ready. Hino sighed.

"Relax, I didn't do anything," Hino said nonchalantly.

The masked ninjas didn't waiver their stances one bit. Hino sighed even heavier. He truly despised Black Ops, but it couldn't be helped.

"Look," Hino explained,"that explosion came from the other side of the city. You've been watching me all day and you know I haven't gone anywhere near that area."

At this, the ANBU relaxed but kept their swords drawn. The one in front of Hino spoke up.

"You knew we were watching you?"

Before Hino could respond, another large crash was heard, accompanied by a feminine scream. At that, Hino and the Black Ops took off in the direction of the scream. When they arrived, Hino was kind of shocked when he saw a huge crater in the middle of the street surrounded by a small crowd. In the middle of the crater where two young women. Hino recognized Sakura by her pink hair, and she looked rather pissed off at the other woman. This woman had bright orange hair and glasses, and she was in a prone position, her leg twitching every now and then. Hino then made a mental note to not insult Sakura anymore. The pink haired kunoichi then looked up towards the crowd gathered around the crater. The Black Ops quickly began to disperse the crowd, while the leader was talking to Sakura. Soon the four ANBU spirited the injured woman away, leaving Hino and Sakura alone. After a short silence, Hino spoke.

"What was that all about?"

Sakura suddenly broke into an almost unintelligible tirade, using many colorful terms to describe the orange haired woman. After she was finished, Sakura calmed down a bit, and started to speak a bit slower.

"I don't know who she is, but there is no way in hell I'm letting her have her way with Sasuke-kun," she exclaimed. Sakura suddenly snapped back to her senses, realizing that she left Sasuke alone in the hospital. She quickly bowed to Hino and disappeared in a blur. Hino was honestly confused, but decided not to worry about it and head back to the inn. About halfway there, he heard the sounds of fighting, and he couldn't help but sigh and think.

_Here we go again..._

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And that's chapter four. I personally had fun writing it, especially the first part. Hehe.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N-Alrighty, let's get going again. Sorry I don't update frequently, I just take a while to write my stuff. That and I'm in college, so I'm finding difficult to make time for this fic. Oh well. And on an unrelated note, I'm going to use english for jutsu from this point on. I'm just too lazy to look up the Japanese names. Oh, and Hino is in no way related to Yondaime. I just used Minato's face as a reference to give you, the reader, an idea of what he looks like.

Disclaimer-I do not nor ever will own Naruto.

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Naruto sat at Ichiraku's, and for once didn't feel hungry. Seeing Sasuke and Sakura kissing on the hospital bed really hurt, but he his hid pain in the presence of his comrade. In all honesty, he really didn't have any romantic feelings for Sakura anymore. It was just painful to see her choose Sasuke, who had abandoned them, over him, who was by her side the whole time. He sat there a little longer, playing with his food and sighing. After paying, he left to walk back to his apartment for the night. As he rounded the corner, he ran into what appeared to be a blue curtain. Naruto fell to the ground with a thud. Naruto looked up about to apologize but was struck dumb by what was, in fact, the **tallest**__man that he had ever seen. The man looked down at him with docile eyes as his wild red-orange hair swayed in the light breeze. The giant spoke.

"Are you alright?"

Naruto snapped back to his senses and responded nervously, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't watching were I was going."

"It's alright."

As Naruto picked himself up, the large man continued.

"Hey kid. Do you know which way the hospital is? I hate to admit it but I'm kinda lost..."

Naruto put on his foxy grin, "Sure. I'll even walk you there. It's on the way to my apartment, anyways."

The giant smirked as Naruto led the way to the hospital. Naruto decided to remain quiet, not wanting to get on this guy's bad side. They soon reached their destination, only to see a gaping hole in the wall on the third floor.

"Sasuke...", Naruto whispered, leaping into the opening. Naruto was a little relieved to see Sasuke still on his bed, with a look of shock on his face. Well, as much shock as Sasuke could express, his eyes widened a bit was the only difference in his expression. This was the first time Sasuke had witnessed Sakura's superhuman strength, and needless to say he was both surprised and impressed. He was brought back to reality by Naruto's hand waving in front of his face.

"Quit that, dobe."

"What happened, teme? Who did this?," Naruto asked in an excited yet worried tone.

"Sakura."

"Oh," and is if on cue, Sakura leaped through the hole, panting a bit from chasing down Karin and running back. One look at Sasuke still in his bed seemed to bring new energy to her as she rushed to his side, shoving Naruto out of the way. Not that she didn't care about Naruto, just that her concern for Sasuke's safety overwhelmed her concern for Naruto. The blonde stumbled backwards arms flailing until he backed into some kind of cloth. Whirling around, Naruto found himself facing a maniacal looking Juugo. Backing up slowly, Naruto tapped Sakura on the shoulder. As she turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of this giant man. Sasuke looked indifferent as Juugo's mouth twisted into a crazed grin and black marks spread across his face.

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Hino rounded the corner of the building only to behold an interesting sight. In the alleyway were what appeared to be half a dozen Konoha chunnin. One whiff of the air told Hino that all of them were drunk out of their minds. What really caught his attention though was the womanly figure standing over them. Hino's eyes widened in recognition. It was that girl in the Hokage's office! What was her name? Inoue, Ino...yeah Ino! Her face reflected rage and disgust as she kicked one of the downed drunkards, muttering something along the line of 'stupid drunken bastards'. She turned with a huff, only to bump into a figure standing at the entrance of the alcove. Without thinking, she went on the offensive and delivered a swift kick to her victim's groin. The figure instantly collapsed, groaning in pain. It was then that Ino recognized that the man she had incapacitated, gasping in both horror and embarrassment.

"Oh my God! Are you alright?," Ino asked as she helped the poor boy up. Hino merely grunted in response, not trusting his voice to be the same octave it was before.

_Well, at least she can fend for herself_ Hino thought, still hunched over from the powerful kick. Straightening himself, Hino asked if the girl she was alright. Though he was relieved to hear Ino was unharmed (and intrigued to see her blush), Hino was also secretly pleased that his voice wasn't high pitched. That girl had a mean kick. The blonde girl then went on to explain how some drunken chunnin had the gall to hit on her while she was walking home.

"Well that explains the swift kick," Hino muttered to himself, noting Ino's obvious embarrassment over the whole situation.

"I'm sorry! Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?," Ino asked, too embarrassed to grasp what she just said. Hino instantly froze, his teenage mind filled with all the possibilities that that statement implied. And then he promptly fell on his back, nose hemorrhaging blood. The last thing he heard was her exclaiming worry before his world went black.

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AN-Sorry this took so long. I kinda got distracted by life.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N-Alright true believers! This is chapter six. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer-I don't own Naruto. And never will. Damn.

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Naruto and Sakura glanced nervously at each other. Not moments ago they took in the sight of a man over six foot tall sporting a look of gleeful madness. The black marks on his face began to turn a sickly brown and his arm began to distort into a nasty looking scythe blade. All the while muttering something about 'killing' and 'pink hair'. As he was about to strike, he froze as he made eye contact with Sasuke's Sharingan. His face became calm as the marks receded, and his hand took on its original appearance. Then the completely unexpected. He began to apologize profusely, saying that he sometimes 'loses control'. Sasuke briefly explained that Juugo suffered from a form of madness brought upon by his curse seal. Sakura's eyes were filled with cautious sympathy. Naruto had a look of understanding etched on his face. The Black Ops quickly came to investigate, and were startled by the presence of the behemoth.

"What the hell is he doing here?," the squad leader asked.

"He's a friend of mine," Sasuke explained, "and he needs to be near me at all times lest we suffer dire consequences."

The captain, though skeptical, decided to heed Sasuke's warning but would repot to the Hokage about these developments. With everyone in agreement, the Black Ops squad left. After leaving, Juugo offered to get some tea from the vending machine in the hall. Which leads us to the two teammates exchanging nervous looks while observing a monster of a man which once possessed the intent to slaughter them now calmly sipping chai tea from a can. Incidentally, Sakura had inconspicuously placed herself between Sasuke's bed and Juugo.

"You guys can relax," Naruto and Sakura both jumped when Sasuke spoke. They were still a little jittery from their earlier fright, "As long as Juugo is within my eyesight, I can control his madness."

At that, a very drowsy and irritable looking Tsunade barged into the room, demanding what the hell was going on in her village. After a long and careful explanation, Tsunade's face was drawn in contemplation. After a few tense moments, she spoke.

"Alright, after looking at him, I can tell Juugo suffers from a form of dissociative identity disorder brought about by the enzyme from the curse seal. And if being near Sasuke can control him, fine. However, we should probably look into a more permanent solution for this problem.," Tsunade looked thoughtful for a second, "I'll have Yamanaka Inoichi and Ino take a look. I may be a medical expert, but no one knows more about psychology and how the human mind works than them. For now though, Juugo will be staying here until Sasuke recovers. I'll alert Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai about these arrangements so they aren't surprised by the giant living man in their teammate's hospital room." Tsunade turned to leave, then whipped around as though she remembered something, "Oh, and Juugo, if you don't mind, I'd like you to volunteer for some tests. With you, we may finally be able to understand how that damn curse seal works." With a nod from Juugo, Tsunade marched out of the room, closing the door with barely a whisper of sound.

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Suigetsu knew this was a bad idea. Since Sasuke was captured, team Hebi had fractured. Each remaining member wanted to do their own thing. It just so happens that two of those members had the same goal: find Sasuke. Though their motivations were quite different. Honestly, he understood why Juugo would want to get to Sasuke and he didn't blame him. Karin, on the other hand; her motives were absolutely despicable. Just the thought of her brought a grimace to his face while he sucked the straw on his water bottle. His plan was completely different: gather all the Seven Mist Swords. And that was no small feat, especially by himself. Suigetsu was a lot smarter than most people who knew him thought. He just kept most of his observations and plans to himself. And what he just observed had made his week. Seeing Karin being thoroughly trounced by that pinky was very entertaining, however brief. His joy though didn't distract him from what he was about to do next. And as his head swam with multiple outcomes, he approached the nearest Konoha Black Ops squad, hands raised in surrender.

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Only one word could describe the room that Hino woke up to. Pink. The bed he was laying in, the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, all of it was some shade of pink. He **hated** pink. Hino simply found the color nauseating. Of course his train of thought was derailed when Ino walked into the room. She was carrying a basin of what appeared to be cool water with a washcloth draped over her arm. The light on her frame pouring in from the window indicated that it was early to mid morning. Her face was a portrait of worry and fatigue until she noticed he was awake. She gave him a beautiful smile and she seemed to be filled with a new energy.

"How you feeling?," she asked in a sweet tone.

"A bit better," Hino answered as the memories of what had happened came rushing back. He hoped Ino couldn't notice the blush on his face. Damn hormones. "How long have I been out?"

"A couple hours," she replied. Her eyes cast downward at him in a amused fashion.

"I should get out of your hair," Hino grunted, lifting himself out of the bed. Once his feet hit the carpet (also an obnoxious pink) he noticed his distinct state of dress. Particularly the absence of his pants, shirt, and jacket. "Umm...," he started, looking down at himself.

"Oh!," Ino gasped bringing a hand to her mouth as a heavy blush spread across her face,"I took the liberty of washing your clothes while you were sleeping. Their over in that basket in the corner. It was the least I could do after what I did."

You see, Hino has very rare moments where his filter simply malfunctions and a very bad comment slips out. Last time this happened, several girls beat him to a bloody pulp. It's not that he wanted to make that comment about a possible fivesome. His filter malfunctioned. Like it's about to right now.

"Any excuse to take a look, huh?" Hino stated flatly. Realizing what he had said, Hino quickly prepared himself for an onslaught of feminine fury. After a few moments of inaction, he opened eyes to find Ino passed out on the floor, sporting a pervy grin, and a strong nosebleed. All Hino could do was sweat drop, commenting about the perverse nature of Konoha girls as he put her to bed and got dressed. Casting one last glance in the blonde's direction, Hino smirked as he leapt out the window and blurred across the rooftops of Konoha.

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A/N- And there you have chapter six. Tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N-Hey there hi there ho there! Man I'm on a roll!

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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To say that this woman with was pissed when she woke up would be like saying the Uzumaki brat hated ramen. She wasted no time and threw quite a violent tantrum. As he watched, Morino Ibiki just smirked. Seeing her actions gave him insight on her personality. She was obviously fixated, almost obsessed, with Uchiha Sasuke. He'd find out why later. For now though, Ibiki just secretly observed the prisoner, jotting down things that might be useful for their future 'talk'.

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Since Ibiki was observing the girl that Haruno captured, it was left to her to talk to the shark boy that surrendered to the Black Ops a short while ago. As Anko walked into the room, she noted the boy's pale features and light hair. Both were ethnic traits of certain peoples from the Land of Water. The fact that he was also in possession of Momochi Zabuza's sword only confirmed that their fishy friend was not only a Mist Nin, but was at least trained to become a Mist Swordsmen. Because of that, the boy was riddled with seals that prevented the use of chakra and was shackled to a chair that was in turn bolted and welded to the floor. There was no such thing as being too cautious. Especially in this world. The toothy grin he gave her revealed a set of razor sharp teeth.

"I'm not that easily unnerved, boy," Anko started, eyes glued to the notepad and clipboard in her hand.

"Well, it was worth a shot."

"So," Anko began,"what brings you to Konoha?"

"Employment opportunities," the boy said, that damn smile never leaving his face.

"Explain," Anko demanded, her attention now fully focused on her assignment.

"It's exactly that. I'm interested in being in the employ of Konoha."

"What makes you think we can trust you?"

"The fact that I'm willing to give you the location of Orohimaru's main bases."

Anko's body language betrayed none of the shock she felt. This guy was a member of Oto, and that fact made him much more valuable. Especially since he's willing to talk.

"You were a member of Oto?"

"No," he said, his smile faltering,"I was an experiment."

Anko felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. But she ruthlessly crushed it. She needed to maintain her objectivity and not let her emotions rule her actions. Especially in this situation.

"We'll consider it. First though, give us the locations of the bases so we can verify if what you're saying isn't a load of bullshit."

The boy's smile widened for an instant before he began listing off coordinates, and Anko had the sneaking suspicion that she had played right into the shark boy's pale hands.

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Hyuuga Hinata sighed as she walked down the street in the afternoon glow. One would presume that she had all that a girl could ever want. She wielded the wealth and power of one of the most powerful clans in the Land of Fire as it's heiress. She had surpassed many of her peers in the shinobi arts, and finally earned the respect of her clan. Yet here she was, shuffling along down the street like her pet had just died. Of course, shrewd individuals knew full well the source of the young heiress' distress. And that source wore a bright orange jumpsuit. She sighed again, and secretly wondered if Naruto would ever notice her. Not that she tried to stand out. He always made her so nervous! With his blond hair, blue eyes, beautiful smile, broad shoulders, chiseled abs...

_No no no! Bad thoughts, Hinata! Naruto-kun wouldn't appreciate me thinking of him in that way!_

Hinata was so caught up in her brooding that she didn't notice the very object of her afections calling out to her until he was practically in her face.

"Oi! Hinata!," Hinata's head shot up, and her lavender eyes were met with sapphire, Naruto's face mere inches from her own. She felt her heart rate increase as the blood rushed to her face. She eyed him with wide eyes, but something was different. Having covertly observed Naruto for years, she prided herself on being able to identify his moods. Today, Naruto seemed cheerful as ever, but also quite serious. She almost jumped when he began speaking again.

"Hey Hinata, I was thinking. Ever since I came back from my trip with ero-sennin we haven't really hung out much. So I was wondering if you'd like to train with me tomorrow morning, and then maybe get lunch together?"

For what it was worth, Hinata was able to maintain consciousness as she processed what Naruto had just asked. Not trusting her voice, Hinata nodded her head vigorously. At that, Naruto gave her one of his rare true smiles. It was too much.

"That's great! So how about we me-Oi! Hinata you okay?! Hey!," Naruto was shocked to see her begin to pass out and quickly caught like he had several times before in the past. Naruto always figured she was anemic or something, seeing as she was so pale and fainted a lot. Shrugging, Naruto hefted Hinata off the ground and postioned her so that she was riding piggy back, and took off towards the Hyuuga Clan compound.

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To say that Tsunade was tired would be the understatement of the century. Not only was she hung over, but she also didn't get much sleep thanks to Sasuke's new teammates causing trouble. And now here she was, head cradled in her hands as she leaned on her desk. Tsunade was about to nod off for a quick nap when an Anbu popped into her office holding a sizable file.

"Here's all the information you requested, Hokage-sama,"

Tsunade nodded and took the file, and the Anbu poofed away as she opened it. After a few minutes, Tsunade eye nearly popped out of their sockets as she read over a certain piece of information. This couldn't be right. That kekki genkai was long gone, if common sense would be believed. But if this report was accurate...Tsunade quickly pressed a buzzer under her desk and a squad of Anbu instantly appeared in front of her. Tsunade only gave one order.

"Make sure Nakamura Hino doesn't leave Konoha."

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A/N-Now things are starting to get interesting.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N-Nothing really to say except read and enjoy.

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Hinata woke with a start. She whipped her head around, and was disappointed that she was in her room at the Hyuuga Compound. And she was just having the most amazing dream, too! Naruto-kun had asked her to train and have lunch with him. Her train of thought was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.

"E-enter," Hinata chirped.

The door opened to reveal the stern but caring visage of her father dressed in the traditional Hyuuga robes. He spoke with the tone of a clan head.

"Good. You're awake. It wouldn't due if you were late for your obligation."

"O-obligation?"

"You promised Uzumaki-san that you would train with him at nine. He told me so when he brought you home yesterday evening. Now hurry, get dressed, and head to training ground seventeen. You have thirty minutes," then Hiashi's face softened as a small smile graced his lips, "and try to enjoy yourself as well."

As Hiashi left her room, Hinata's eyes were wide as saucers as she realized that what she remembered wasn't a dream afterall.

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Hiashi smiled as he walked down the traditional halls of his home. He knew full well of his daughter's feelings for the Kyuubi container. No, Naruto. Hiashi grimaced as he reminded himself that the boy was in fact a human being. He was trying to get rid himself of his older, more cruel habits. Including how he viewed the Uzumaki boy and his daughter. For some reason Hinata, his eldest, had fallen head over heels for the boy. Not only that, but he also seemed to bring out a side of her that he had been seeing more and more as of late. A side full of determination and passion. In Naruto's presence, Hinata showed all the traits of a worthy clan head. Bringing out that part of his daughter was an ability he held in high regard, so he figured that the boy deserved some lick of respect. Hopefully more time with Uzumaki would make this side a more permanent part of her personality. Maybe that would bring the elder's disparaging whispers about how Hinata was 'mousy, weak, and unbecoming of a Hyuuga heiress' to an end. The elder's wouldn't know what hit them-even with the Byakugan.

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As he sat on the training log waiting for Hinata to show up, Naruto was doing what many people thought he couldn't. He was thinking. Thinking about things like what he wanted to practice with Hinata once she got here. About Sasuke and Sakura's new relationship. About Sasuke's giant of a friend. About where to take Hinata for lunch. About what he knew about the Byakugan in order to give Hinata a proper challenge. About how striking he found Hinata's eyes to be...

_Whoa, where did that come from?_

Naruto shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He was sure Hinata wouldn't be interested in him that way. He just couldn't see it. Though he did respect her during the academy for not being one of Teme's fan-girls. Now that he thought about it, Hinata had always been different; But in a good way. She wasn't loud like Ino or violent like Sakura. She was...nice. She didn't smile much though. But when she did...

_Gah!! I did it again!_

His musings were interrupted by a familiar feeling chakra entering the range of his senses. Though he was loathe to admit it, having a demon fox sealed within you does have it's advantages. He first noticed this ability about six months into his training with Jiraiya. The old perv explained that this new sense was part of the process which fused the demon's chakra with his own. It allowed him to sense chakra within a certain radius. He was also able to distinguish individual chakra signatures, and if he was close enough he could even discern the nature of said signature. Many would consider such an ability as a godsend. For Naruto, it was just another reminder that he was different. Naruto cut off his brooding and plastered the ol' grin on his face as he saw Hinata enter the clearing.

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"Hi Hinata! You ready?," Naruto-kun shouted, grinning and waving his right arm with his left on his hip. Hinata felt her heart clench. She knew that grin. Naruto-kun always grinned like that when something serious was on his mind. Oh she knew Naruto was a lot smarter than people thought. She also knew that he liked to mask his pain with cheap grins and wild gestures. It was a mask that Hinata hoped to see destroyed one day. Determined, she put on her best smile and walked over to him.

"H-hello, Naruto-kun. What did you want to do?"

"Well," Naruto-kun said, scratching his cheek while glancing to the side,"I actually hoped that we could both help to improve each other, you know?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"It's simple. I'll create a ton of clones, and you fight them until you need a break."

"I-if you say so."

"Alright! **Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu**!"

Soon, nearly the entire clearing was filled with Naruto-kun's clones. Hinata always admired his strength, and seeing this just reinforced that feeling. She smiled as her body set into her taijutsu stance. Like most Hyuuga, Hinata used the Jyuuken taijutsu style. This style involves molding one's chakra into spikes along the fingers and ramming that spike into the victim's body, severely damaging the chakra network as well as the internal organs. Hinata, however, took a different approach. It had started with her new technique Protection of the 64 Palms. In it she formed fine lines of chakra that acted as both blades and sheilds, attacking and defending simultaneously. Unbeknownst to all of the clan, Hinata had taken this concept a step further. Instead of the usual spikes, she rather forms very fine blades of chakra that extend from the palm outward for about a few inches. These blades did very little damage with the traditional Jyuuken strikes, so Hinata incorporated sweeping, circular motions into her style. She tweaked and tweaked until she finally realized that she had created her own form of Jyuuken. And she was now putting that style on display. She wanted to impress Naruto-kun with what she had created. And no one could have guessed the outcome.

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Hino packed the last of his things. He was leaving tonight. The sooner the better. He just prayed that the Hokage didn't discover his secret before he had a chance to skip town. Being detained in Konoha would throw a kunai into the spleen of his plans. Not the heart, because that was him. Konoha wouldn't kill him. Especially if they knew. But not being allowed to leave would only make things harder. An image of Ino's smiling face crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. No emotional attachments. For once he was grateful for his clan teachings as he mentally burned the picture of the smiling blonde in his head. If the plan worked then maybe he would be able to think about such things. But if it didn't, he wouldn't have to worry about such things any longer.

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A/N-And there you have it. Sorry about the cliffhangers! Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Naruto's jaw nearly dropped when Hinata and his clones began to spar. Her movements were fluid and graceful, like water. Naruto almost laughed at the irony, seeing as his chakra sense identified Hinata as having water nature affinity. But her taijutsu was awesome! So much better than that stiff style she used to use. He grimaced when one of his clones was dispelled, the sensation of being sliced in half rushing into his mind. So she was slicing rather than stabbing? Naruto silently prayed that he'd never have to fight Hinata for real. That slice hurt. And so did the one he just felt as another clone was internally decapitated. As he watched, something tugged at the back of Naruto's memory. Seeing Hinata fighting like this reminded him of _something_, he just couldn't put his finger on what. Then Hinata pulled off that move she had showed on the Bikochou mission. Naruto sucked in a huge breath as all the pieces fell into place. An image of a girl walking on a lake near a waterfall superimposed itself over Hinata's dancing form.

_THAT WAS HINATA!?!?_

His revelation was interrupted by two new chakra signatures entering the area. But what were THEY doing here?

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Hino glanced at the clock in the hotel room. Ten AM. In twelve hours he would head out. He already had everything planned. Make a mad dash towards one of the condemned distracts of the city. Once there quickly and quietly deal with any form of pursuit. Finally, don the disguise and stroll right out the eastern gate. Hino could henge, but any competent shinobi would be able to spot that a mile away. A more material approach was needed for the disguise. Good thing he always came prepared.

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"There're just sparring..."

"Lemme see!," Ino said in a hushed tone as she snatched the binoculars from her best friend, not noticing the gagging noises as the cord strangled Sakura. Ugh, she was right. They _were_ just sparring. When she overheard Naruto asking Hinata to train with her, Ino had thought that maybe Naruto had _finally_ noticed Hinata feelings. But alas, it appeared that the 'orange wonder' was just as oblivious as ever. She let go of the binoculars, surprised to hear Sakura gasping for air while glaring holes into her head.

"What?," Ino asked.

"Never mind," was Sakura's grumbled, but then asked, "Now what?"

"Well...let's keep watching and see if anything develops," Ino answered thoughtfully.

"If what develops?"

They were both so startled that they disengaged the chakra holding them to the tree branch and came crashing down to the forest floor. As they picked themselves up, the 'orange wonder' landed gracefully a few feet away. Ino shot Naruto a dirty look.

"What was that all about?," Ino snapped.

"Why are you two watching us?," Naruto retorted.

Both girls froze as they shared a look. Though they desperately wanted to, everyone had decided to either let Naruto discover Hinata's feelings on his own or let Hinata tell him herself. It would be both rude and embarrassing to the shy girl if one of her friends told Naruto her deepest secret. And now, Ino and Sakura found themselves in a situation which was hard to explain without revealing said secret. Fortunately though, Ino was one hell of a lier.

"Tsunade sent us to evaluate how far along Hinata has come in her training and we didn't want to intrude," Ino stated coolly. Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. Tell Tsunade if she want's to test Hinata to just ask her directly. Honestly it's easier that way."

"Will do. Well, seeya 'round Naruto!," With that Ino grabbed Sakura's wrist and took off in the direction away from where Hinata and the remainder of the clones were still sparring.

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Naruto didn't buy Ino's excuse for a second. Tsunade never did this kind of espionage crap when discerning the skills of her shinobi. Her tests were more straightforward. Ino and Sakura were watching them for some reason, but he'd look into it later. Then Naruto felt the rush of memories from his last clone, and couldn't suppress a grin. He sprinted back to the clearing to initiate the second part of the training he had planned. Training with Hinata was really a lot of fun.

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Hinata was breathing hard when she managed to dispel the last of Naruto-kun's clones. She frowned when she didn't spot him at first, but that vanished as Naruto-kun walked into the clearing.

"Wow Hinata you rock!," Naruto-kun said pumping his fist. Hinata face reddened at the complement.

"I-it wasn't that special."

"No seriously Hinata, that was really good. Now, did you know why I had you fight so many clones at once?," At that Hinata's expression became thoughtful for a moment.

_Hey, she's pretty cute when she's thinking..._

Naruto began to ponder that thought as well as others that have been leaking into his mind. All concerning the lavender-eyed girl before him. Before he could think further, Hinata answered.

"T-t-to test my ability to fight multiple opponents at once, right?," Naruto smiled.

"Yep! That's exactly it. Training for that situation is tough to do. Because of that not many people can fight big crowds. But you were totally awesome. You had the situation completely under control," Naruto stated,"Well, why don't we rest for a few minutes before we continue?"

"O-okay," both sat with their backs to the middle training log in comfortable silence. Every now and again Naruto would sneak glances at Hinata, and soon noticed that she was dozing lightly. A true smile formed on his face as a warm feeling enveloped him. Naruto was startled by this new feeling. It was like ramen, only way better. He pondered for a second before he came to a conclusion. Hinata accepted him. She saw all his flaws (well not _all_ of them) and simply didn't care. To him, someone like that was more precious than any treasure. He watched her sleep for a couple a minutes before gently shaking her awake. She apologized for being rude and falling asleep, and Natuto honestly had to laugh.

"Hinata, it's okay. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."

"No, Naruto-kun. I want to keep going."

"Alright then, now you test me."

"Huh?," Hinata tilted her head and furrowed her brow in confusion for a second before realizing what he was asking. She then nodded in determination and after a few seconds looked him right in the eye, a light blush staining her cheeks, "Alright. I think I got it."

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A/N-I have a feeling you'll like what's next...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Ino gazed into the telescope that was now pointed at Naruto and Hinata's training session. Most people would have been disheartened if they had been discovered spying. Not Ino. She was going to watch and see if anything romantic between those two no matter what. And if something did happen, then she'd have something to talk about tomorrow morning. Of course Sakura had given up when they were found and went to check on Sasuke. No surprise there. Ino blinked couple of times to clear her head in hopes of better observing the 'love birds'. Her mouth steadily opened in discovery, then she began jumping around the roof squealing in delight. Oh, now _that _was worth talking about. And who knew Hinata could be so shrewd?

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Hino glanced at the clock. 11:30 AM. He unfolded his legs from his meditation position and hopped off the bed. Might as well get some lunch. Hino walked down to the restaurant of the Dango Inn. The place was a nice, family run establishment. It had clean rooms, good home cooked food, and relatively low prices. Hino figured that the number of customers they got compensated for their lower prices. Hino sat at a table as the bubbly waitress took his order. As Hino waited he took a glance around the restaurant. He decided to change his escape plan, due to the fact that they now had Inuzukas checking at every gate. And if Tsunade was competent-which she was-she would have already procured his scent. And simple make-up and wigs couldn't fool those noses either. So now Hino was forced to use one of his more...visceral jutsu to get out. However, the jutsu needed a victim to work. When his food arrived, he smiled and thanked the waitress who in turn blushed. Hino's smile widened as he asked the girl her plans for this evening.

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Naruto had never been through something more grueling in his life. This training required perfect timing, proper footing, and unerring precision. When Hinata had suggested this type of training, Naruto had to admit he was skeptical. But she made a valid point at how useful such training would be when he was Hokage. At that point Naruto would have cheerfully agreed to being set on fire. He grimaced when he felt Hinata's foot under his.

"S-sorry."

"I-i-it's ok."

Who knew ballroom dancing could be so difficult? He and Hinata were awkwardly waltzing around the training area, along with about a hundred clones. Hinata gave gentle instruction every now and then while sporting a heavy blush. But Naruto couldn't help but notice the small smile on her face. She had been smiling since they had started. He reasoned Hinata must really enjoy dancing. With one quick glance around the clearing, Naruto gave the mental command to his clones.

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Ooh, why had she suggested dancing? Of course, she knew the answer: this could be her only chance to dance with Naruto-kun. He wasn't one for big social events, and when Naruto-kun did go she was too shy to ask him to dance. Hinata felt like the lowest of the low. But she wasn't lying when she said dancing would be helpful when he became Hokage. But the guilt was soon swept away when Naruto-kun suddenly took the lead and began guiding her around the clearing. Her eyes widened and she barely noticed that Naruto-kun had dispelled the clones he had set to practice alongside them. Soon she completely lost track of her surroundings as she gazed into those beautiful sapphire eyes.

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A ghost of a smile graced his features as he deactivated his Byakugan. Neji was sure now that Hinata was enjoying her 'training'.

"C'mon Neji!"

Not that he had any room to talk. Neji smirked as he shifted into the familiar Jyuuken stance. He really found Tenten's company to be most enjoyable. Maybe that's why he had asked her out after that mission when they fought Hoshikage Kisame. It took seeing her nearly drown for his feelings for the girl to fully awaken. After a couple dates Neji was quite taken with her. Tenten was pretty much the perfect girlfriend. Strong. Independent. Smart. Beautiful. She had everything. Even Hiashi-sama had approved of her, saying that she could help to produce strong children. But Neji knew he wasn't ready for fatherhood. Much less a pregnant Tenten. He still had memories of Hinata-sa-imouto's mother when she was with child, and she had been a calm and kind spirit. No telling what a violent woman like Tenten would do. He mentally shuddered at the idea. His thoughts were interrupted by a kunai pinning his sleeve to a tree. Damn, he should have been paying more attention. Soon, Neji found himself completely restrained. He watched as Tenten landed gracefully in the small clearing, a grin full of triumph and something else. He didn't quite know what but it sent a shiver down his spine. Neji observed her swaying hips, toned waist, full breasts, curved jawline, and intense brown eyes as she sauntered over to him. That was the other reason he asked Tenten out. He just found her so...

"Gotcha," she whispered, her face a mere inches from his.

"Now what," Neji breathed. She responded by planting a searing kiss on his lips to which he responded eagerly.

...sexy.

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Sasuke growled in frustration and pain as he stood up from his hospital bed. Despite having both Sakura and Orochimaru's powers healing him, his body had yet to recover enough to leave the hospital. Itachi had really did a number on him, but during the fight Sasuke had noticed when his brother looked to be in extreme pain. The expression was visible for less than a second, but it revealed something. Itachi was dying, but from what Sasuke couldn't guess. The thought of Itachi dying a natural death would have once made Sasuke's blood boil with outrage at being robbed at his chance for vengeance. Now though, it was more like a dull ache. Sasuke continued brooding as he slowly made his way to the hospital gardens, Sakura right by his side. Sasuke honestly hadn't figured out the feelings he had for his now very attractive female teammate. She had definitely grown up. Long, smooth legs. Slim, fit figure. Small but perky chest. Just thinking about such things brought an slight increase in Sasuke's temperature. Now he was positively sure. He, Uchiha Sasuke, was attracted to a girl. The old him would have saw that as a weakness that needed to be destroyed. But now...Sasuke really didn't know what to think. He would have to meditate on this later. When he could cross his legs without aggravating the bad laceration on his left inner thigh.

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A/N-Decided to focus on the relationships a bit. Don't worry, fun stuff is coming soon.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Hinata stared at the ground as she and Naruto-kun walked into Konoha proper. They had almost lost track of time while dancing. If it weren't for the growl of Naruto-kun's stomach, they would have easily skipped lunch. Hinata had been so embarrassed because she nearly kept Naruto-kun from eating. But he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed almost disappointed at having to stop. She stole a glance at Naruto-kun, and nearly tripped on her own feet. He was looking at her! She quickly snapped her head straight again, and the audible cracking sound indicated that he had done the same. They walked in silence until they reached a small cafe on the outskirts of the village. It was a nice place, and the owner greeted both of them with a smile. Hinata was secretly overjoyed at the fact that Naruto-kun was finally finding acceptance with the village. Her musings were interrupted by Naruto-kun's strong yet gentle hand wrapping around her elbow. A tomato would have been envious of the shade of red she was now sporting. Her body stiffened, but Hinata allowed herself to be guided to a small table for two in the corner. They sat there for a few seconds before Naruto-kun spoke.

"I really enjoyed this, Hinata. Training with you today was both fun and...enlightening. I would like to do this with you more often, if that's okay," Hinata froze. Did he just say what she thought he said? That he enjoyed her company and would like to spend more time with her? His facial expression was truthful, yet hesitant, like he was expecting rejection. Her face drew into a mask of sheer joy and determination. She was going to destroy that mask he wore no matter how long it took. She slowly rested her hand on his, looked him right in the eye, smiled and said:

"I'd love to."

The expression on Naruto-kun's face was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

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Hino sighed as he looked at the unconscious girl. At first glance she didn't seem like much, but if one looked at her properly she was quite attractive. She had black hair, big brown eyes, and an average figure. That's why he had chosen her. She didn't really stand out. Hino really hated this jutsu. His clan had forced him to learn it in preparation for becoming an Iwa Black Ops. It was one of the reasons Hino had left. But now was not the time to reminisce. He had to concentrate and mold the chakra properly for this to work right. He glanced at the clock. 12:30 PM. That meant he would have to be at a safe distance from the village by 1:00. Or else.

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Shikamaru gazed up at the clouds from the guard post. Tsunade had ordered that a capture team be placed at each gate. Apparently someone with a powerful kekkai genkai was trying to leave. And that this individual was a skilled shinobi. That was the main reason Shikamaru agreed to take the assignment. Anyone like that needed to be kept under the Hokage's thumb. Or in jail. He spared a glance at his squadmates for the mission. Chouji was happily munching on a bag of chips as always. But Shikamaru knew that Chouji was actually keeping a very watchful eye on things. And Kiba was leaning on the outside of the booth, his giant dog Akamaru curled at his feet. To any well trained shinobi it was obvious that Kiba and Akamaru were sniffing the air for their target. Shikamaru leaned back in the seat, his mind running over all the possible outcomes of this situation. Before they even arrived at the eastern gate he had run over several plans with Kiba and Chouji, outlining their parts in each strategy. Shikamaru closed his eyes. The pieces were set, and the plans in place. It was the target's move now.

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Ino had a small smile on her face as she walked towards the Dango Inn. She had overheard that Hino-kun was staying there, and she wanted to see him. Not that she was attracted to him or anything. Nope, no attraction whatsoever. Ok ok, so he _was_ pretty hot. But Ino didn't really know him at all. And that was why she found herself strolling towards the little hotel. As she walked in the door, one of the waitresses brushed past her. She seemed to be in a hurry. Ino actually wondered if the girl knew how attractive she could be if she put on a little make-up. Ah well, Ino thought as she walked up to the receptionist's desk.

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Hino had nearly had a heart attack when Ino had brushed by him. But his iron self-control kept him from displaying any surprise. What was she doing there anyway? I mean the only person she would go there for was...Hino mentally cursed as he quickened his stride. With any luck he would be out of the village gate before the alarm was raised.

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THe light breezed made his cloak sway as he secretly stood watch at the road leading to eastern gate. Tsunade-sama had assigned him to keep an eye on the group of chunins she had assigned there to capture the escapee. Ice blue eyes narrowed from behind the wolf mask as he spotted one of the girls that worked at the Dango Inn with his sister. Her name was Miki, and he knew she was the bubbly, ditsy type. But something was off. Any other shinobi wouldn't have noticed that her posture seemed a little stiff. Any other shinobi wouldn't have noticed that her smile was a bit forced. Any other shinobi wouldn't have noticed the slight urgency in her stride. But he did. He began silently stalking 'her' in the shadows as 'she' approached the eastern gate of Konoha.

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The frown on Kiba's face deepened when a scent that he recognized came into his sensory range. It was Miki, that girl that worked at the Dango Restaurant. Kiba had asked her out once. And got a slap on the face once it was over. As she passed in front of him, she gave him a quick glance. Kiba braced himself for the berating that he was sure to receive. But nothing came. He was confused. She always took time to insult him. Unless...Kiba quickly and inconspicuously signaled Shikamaru and Chouji. Something wasn't adding up.

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A/N-Next chapter is when the action starts.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Though he didn't show it, Shikamaru tensed when he saw Kiba's signal. He kept one eye barely cracked open so that only a close observation could tell it was open. He watched as Kiba approached a bubbly looking girl with brown hair and eyes.

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"Hey Miki!"

Hino hid his shock as he slowly turned towards the approaching boy. From the facepaint Hino could tell the guy was an Inuzuka. The giant dog that followed him confirmed it. Before he could make further observations the Inuzuka spoke again.

"So how have you been doing?"

"Fine," Hino stated, silently grateful that the jutsu also mimicked the victim's voice.

"So I was thinking...maybe when you get back we could go on another date?" If the brush with Ino wasn't enough, this would have definitely stopped Hino's heart. Son of a bitch! He hadn't expected this. Fortunately, he had observed the girl long enough to mirror her mannerisms. So he replied with a big smile, head tilted to be cute.

"Of course!"

"Heh, funny." The Inuzuka started, a knowing look on his face, "last time I asked you out you smacked me across the face."

"W-well I-" It was too late when Hino realized what was going on. A low growl accompanied by the cold kiss of steel to his throat indicated he'd been discovered.

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He knew it. Kiba couldn't suppress a smug grin as he placed the kunai to the impostor's throat. Miki wouldn't talk to him after he had asked her out. Even after two months. Then she suddenly starts acting nice to him again. No way in hell this was Miki. But Kiba was honestly confused. The scent was dead on. No traces of any hidden scents or cover ups. According to his nose, this truly was Miki. So how the hell...? A sudden explosion of dust knocked Kiba on his butt as dirt filled his nostrils. Kiba grimaced as he and Akumaru took off in pursuit.

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Chouji took of an instant after Shikamaru and the target. Fortunately they had maintained visual contact, and were hot on her heels as they flew through the forest canopy. A few moments later an embarrassed and frustrated Kiba passed him and took point, Akamaru keeping pace on the ground below. The pursuit lasted for about three minutes before the target stopped in a clearing. He and his friends landed hard on the ground, causing it to quake slightly. Akamaru quickly skidded to a halt at Kiba's side, baring his fangs and growling. The trio straightened themselves as they sized up their opponent.

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Hino quickly observed his pursuers, figuring out how best to deal with this situation. The team before him was obviously meant for track and capture assignments. The big guy had to be an Akimichi, meaning he would have to deal with dodging devastating grapples and large blows. The center player was an Inuzuka, nothing he couldn't handle. Just separate him from his dog companion and his taijutsu combos were worthless. It was the guy on the right that gave Hino the most worry. His features were sharp, his brown hair tied into a high ponytail and his light brown eyes boring into him. Definitely a Nara. Meaning he would need to be _very_ mindful of his surroundings. Fighting them would be a real test. But what he was about to say would make things a lot easier.

"Careful! Any injuries you give me will be inflicted on the girl when this jutsu times out!"

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His slight frown was hidden behind the porcelain mask as he followed the scent of the chunins. He thought the target would surrender after 'she' had been discovered. But 'she' decided to do things the hard way. It wasn't long before he came to the edge of a clearing where both the escapee and the chunins had stopped. He landed on a nearby branch with a nice view of the whole scene. He would get involved if things got dicey. For now though, he wanted to see what these kids could do.

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Shikamaru's scowled. That little piece of information would make things troublesome. Not injuring the target would be next to impossible. His brilliant mind searched his memories for what jutsu this bastard was using. Not only did it transfer appearance, but it also appeared able to mimic the scent and voice of the victim as well. It didn't take long for one particularly nasty technique to pop into his head. As he mentally went over the justu's properties, Shikamaru couldn't help the knowing smirk that was beginning to show.

"Tell me," Shikamaru loudly inquired, "how much time do you have left before you change back?"

Chouji and Kiba whipped their heads to look at him. The target frowned.

Bingo.

"The jutsu had a preset time limit," Shikamaru explained to his comrades, "all we have to do is wait for 'her' to change back. Then we can go all out." At that Chouji smirked, while the grin Kiba was sporting looked absolutely feral. Akamaru barked ferociously.

Though it looked like that wouldn't be an option as the target charged full speed.

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The first minute of fighting was a storm of fists, feet, claws, and shadows. Blurred movements. Near misses. Destructive power. All of it rolled into one. He had to admit all of them were pretty skilled. He smirked beneath his ANBU mask. The fighting had become more jutsu oriented. The escapee was throwing down some impressive Fire and Earth style ninjutsu, barely keeping the Inuzuka and Akimichi at bay. The Nara's Shadow Sewing technique squirmed and darted through the debris, trying to get a hold of the opponent. But the 'girl' jumped out of the way at the last possible instant, covering 'her' ascent with a well placed fireball. Then he noticed something. 'Her' tactics weren't one of someone trying to fight and win. 'She' was holding back, instead trying to distract them enough to escape. Why would 'she' want to escape so badly? Something must be up with that jutsu 'she' was using.

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Hino mentally cursed. These guys were way better than he had originally thought. That Inuzuka was _fast_. And his attack combinations were truly devastating. Thankfully the Earth Hand jutsu had made him a bit wary. The Akimichi was also faster than he thought. But not fast enough that he couldn't dodge and avoid. No, it was the Nara bastard that was giving him the most trouble. He had his teammates attack in such a way as to lure him into the range of his shadow jutsu. Not only that, but the Nara's jutsu were faster and had a longer range than was standard. Either the guy was a genius or he trained his ass off. Either way, they were making it impossible for him to escape. And he only had two minutes left.

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A/N-haha cliffhanger jutsu!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Things are finally getting good, neh? Well, here you go!

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Ino sat infront of the Hokage's office looking like she had the fright of her life. What she found in Hino's room was really disturbing. It took all her willpower to call for Black Ops through the window. The image still burned in her mind. The body lying in the bed looked like all of its features melted off. No eyes, only two holes where the nose should be, no mouth. Nothing. Just thinking about it brought a wave of nausea. She rushed to the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach. As she wiped her mouth, Ino knew this would haunt her dreams for months.

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Tsunade looked through the window at the body as it lay in the hospital bed. 'It' was the only term she could use. The poor soul had no features to distinguish it as male or female. Of course she knew exactly what this was. The Mask of Flesh jutsu. A forbidden jutsu which inspired Orochimaru's immortality jutsu. Tsunade felt a flash of rage she hadn't felt since she defended Naruto with her life and took the title for Hokage. She was gonna make that bastard suffer. Her angered thoughts were cut short as the body began to convulse.

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Hino screamed as agonizing pain shot though his body. Dammit! The jutsu had timed out. He was changing back. He felt his bones extend with sickening cracking and popping sounds. His skin burned as the melatonin levels readjusted to match his natural skin tone. His scalp felt as though it were on fire as he felt his hair shorten and change color. Hino's eyes stung and teared up as his eye changed color. Thirty seconds had never felt so long in his life. Then, just as it began, it was over. He was surprised he was still standing after that. He brought his gaze to meet the shocked features of his opponents. Well, the Nara didn't look all that shocked. He actually looked kind of bored, the lower half of his face hidden by a handseal. Hino's eyes widened as he launched himself into the air, barely avoiding the Shadow Possession jutsu.

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To say that Kiba was ecstatic when the bastard's jutsu dispelled was a massive understatement. He howled in true Inuzuka style as he and Akamaru lunged forward at full speed, no longer fearing hurting an innocent. He felt Chouji rush forward with him, his arms ballooning to an unnatural size. Seems Chouji shared the same sentiments as he did.

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He visibly winced as he watched the escapee take a powerful blow to the head. That Akimichi kid had a mean left hook. The target began to sway a little. He probably had a concussion. Of course, the kickback from that disguise jutsu was what did him in. That was why he was trying to get away. He needed time to recover. But the chunins gave him no such luxury. He was about to leap down when the wobbly kid formed a seal and the ground began to shake.

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"**Lava Style: Grand Eruption!!!**," the enemy slurred. Shikamaru barely had time to leap out of the way as a lava began to gush out of the ground like a geyser. He glanced over to his comrades. He was relieved to see they had avoided the jutsu as well. Shikamaru once again shifted his focus to his opponent. One look at the guy told him that he wasn't thinking straight. He was beginning to formulate a plan when a black and white blur slammed into the caster. The jutsu dispelled instantly, the lava cooling to rock within seconds leaving a black tower in the middle of the clearing. Crouched over the unconscious enemy was a member of Black Ops. He hailed to them with a wave.

"Don't worry. He's out cold," Came a voice, laced with a slight Western accent. He continued, "You guys did a good job. Go report to Tsunade-sama. I'll take care of him." Shikamaru simply nodded. He was tired from the fight, and it was obvious that Kiba, Chouji, and Akamaru were too. So with a wave he and his team took off back towards Konoha.

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Hino awoke in an extreme amount of pain. His entire body was sore. He tried to move, but he found he couldn't move his limbs. He looked down to see that he was shackled to the wall and floor of a dark, dank little cell that was probably miles underground. Upon further inspection, he noticed that his bare torso was riddled with seals. Chakra suppression. Tracking. Pain. Instant death. The last one was a bit much, but understandable. Well, enough taking in the scenery. Time to start negotiations. He called out.

"Hey! Can I talk to the Hokage please?"

"Shut up!," the shout was accompanied with a sharp ache on his heart as the pain seal glowed. Hino grimaced. This was going to be tougher than he thought.

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Naruto strolled down the street with a stupid grin plastered to his face. And it was a true grin. Not the fake one he always used. Spending the morning with Hinata was a blast! Not only had he learned a practical skill that would be useful in his duties as Hokage, he had also solved one of the great mysterious that plagued his thought. So Hinata was the waterfall girl, huh? Once he made that realization, Naruto couldn't help but see her in a whole different light. He saw the way her legs moved so gracefully as she walked. The way she smiled when they were dancing. The warmth of her hand on his...Naruto stopped in his tracks as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

_Am I...attracted to Hinata?_

Honestly he could see why. Not only was she nice, she was smart, strong, beautiful, funny, caring, and well the list goes on. Naruto thought on it for a moment and decided that it would probably be best to keep this under wraps for the time being. He was pretty sure Hinata didn't feel that way towards him, and that thought brought a slight pain to his chest. Maybe he should ask Iruka when the academy got out for the day.

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A/N-Well there you go. Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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To say Shino was not pleased with his situation was an understatement of epic proportions. To start, Tsunade-sama had assigned him to a month long mission after he returned from the successful retrieval of Uchiha Sasuke. The mission entailed the escort of a daimyo back to his home after he had hammered out an alliance with Konoha. The newly formed Land of Apples had apparently agreed to hire Konoha shinobi exclusively in exchange for access to the trade roads that intertwined through the Land of Fire. In any case, Shino had no problem with the assignment itself. It was just that his partner was...

"Yosh Shino-san! Why do you look so down? You must fan the flames of youth if you aspire to be great like me and Gai-sensei!! Only then will you find true joy in life!!!!!"

...yeah.

Shino sighed.

This was going to be a long month.

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It took all of Iruka's control and reserve not to laugh out loud at the situation. For _years_ he watched Hyuuga Hinata pine over Naruto. And now he and the boy were sitting at Ichiraku. And Naruto asking advice on what to do about his sudden attraction to the Hyuuga heiress. He put on the straightest face he could manage, given the situation, and offered his old student this:

"Well Naruto, don't always assume that people will act and think the way you perceive them to. This is part of looking underneath the underneath. I suggest trying to figure out how Hinata feels about you. Then move on from there. Other than that, I really can't offer you any advice when it comes to girls."

Naruto looked thoughtful for a few seconds as he pondered the advice he had been given. With a slow nod, he stood up and said:

"Alright, Iruka-sensei. I'll figure out Hinata's perspective on this before I make any decisions. But I won't get my hopes up."

Once again Iruka thanked Kami for his self-control. He looked up at his now grown student, his kind smile never breaking as he replied.

"Don't be so negative Naruto. Who knows? You might be pleasantly surprised."

Naruto nodded again, and offered a wave of his hand as he departed from the ramen stand. Iruka waited until he was sure Naruto was out of earshot before he snorted in laughter. He couldn't help it! The circumstances were just so damn funny! The owner of the stand and his daughter joined him in his mirth. Oh, Naruto would be pleasantly surprised indeed. Iruka calmed a bit when he realized what might happen if Naruto and Hinata _finally_ discovered their feelings for each other. A warm smile crossed his lips as he thought about his favorite pupil finally getting what he deserved from the start.

Love.

Of course, Iruka had lied a bit. He had experience when it came to relationships, seeing as he was in one right now. But that would be a secret until further notice. Iruka didn't need Naruto accidently letting slip that he and Tsunade-sama's assistant had been dating for the past year and a half. Especially to Tsunade-sama herself. He didn't want to end up like the last guy.

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He relaxed his guard as he heard of the soft click that indicated the door had closed behind him. The first thing he did was take of the damn mask. He could understand it's purpose and all, but why porcelain? Why not wood or plastic? Whatever. He crept silently through the small three bedroom apartment, careful not to wake his sister. Quietly he entered his room, and stripped himself of his ANBU equipment. Dressed in only a towel, he lightly padded across the hallway, closing the bathroom door behind him without a sound. He paused to look at himself in the mirror. The face that looked back seemed almost alien to him, having lived in a city full of Easterners for more than twelve years. Cold blue eyes peered through strands of brown hair, oily from the day's exertions. The thin face and large chin were hidden by a messy beard that had once been a well groomed goatee. He frowned at the face in the looking glass. He looked older than he actually was thanks to the small bags under his eyes, formed from genetics rather than fatigue. His gaze moved down to his stocky but tall body, the muscle and scars partially concealed by a fair amount of hair on his chest, back, arms, and legs. He wasn't big-foot, but he possessed far more body hair than the local population. Just another reminder that he and his sister didn't really belong here. He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He almost laughed at how he vaguely resembled a dog when he shook. Guess it made sense. Anyway, he really owed the old man for bringing him and his sister here. The Sandaime saw potential in a couple of Western street rats, and he actually liked working under Tsunade-sama. What had happened to the waitress made him realize that his little sister was far from safe. For the fourth time today he considered retiring from Black Ops and becoming a regular jonin again, like Kakashi-sempai had a few years back. As a jonin he would be able to keep a better eye on her. He'd talk to Tsunade-sama in the morning and ask her opinion.

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Tsunade's face was set in a mask of anger as she glared at the boy. She had every right to be mad. He had the audacity to use a _forbidden_ jutsu on an innocent Konoha civilian. Not only putting her in a temporary coma but risking serious harm to the girl as well. In short Tsunade was beyond pissed. The brat also had the balls to ask to speak with her the moment he had regained consciousness. She almost had him killed for that. But for the boy to still ask for an audience through the pain seal must have meant he had something important to say. Probably information to barter off for his freedom. As if she'd let him go. Still, she would listen what he would have to say.

"What is it, runt."

The boy looked up, obviously drained from experiencing repeated use of the pain seal. But that didn't stop a small smile from twisting his mouth.

"I have a proposition. One that would be very advantageous to Konoha."

"What could you possibly offer that would convince me to let a monster like you go?"

The brat looked a little hurt at that, but he leaned back in the chair and calmly began to explain his plans, his hands gesturing in the arm restraints. The more she listened, the wider Tsunade's eyes got. What he was describing was...was...Tsunade left before he finished, not wanting to hear more. For if she heard any more she might have let him go.

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A/N-haha poor Shino. Please review!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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After she had heard the whole story on what had happened, Ino was barely able to contain her disgust and shame. Shame from having been attracted to such a monster, and disgust at what Hino had done. As she stomped down the street, the morning commuters gave her a wide berth. Noticing this she stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes and took deep breathes in an attempt to calm herself. It worked to a degree, seeing as the citizens around her began to relax a little. She felt a little embarrassed as she realized she must have been radiating no small amount of killing intent. Ino sighed as she continued at a more leisurely pace. Tsunade-sama had called her and her father to examine a prisoner's mental condition. She needed to be in control of her own emotions if she wanted to be of any use.

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Sasuke lay upright in his bed at the hospital, his passive face not once betraying the whirl of thoughts swimming in his mind. After much thinking, he had decided to give up his grand ambition to kill Itachi. Sasuke had by no means forgiven his older brother, but he would no longer actively hunt him either. Having come to the decision, his other almost-forgotten goal came to mind. Reviving the Uchiha clan. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted a family again. People who would love him without condition. Unbidden memories of his mother and brother before the massacre came to the surface. Yeah, something like that. But he needed help for this. A woman who was not only attractive, but strong as well. A month ago there was absolutely no one who he could think of that could possibly fill the role of the new Uchiha matriarch. But now...Sasuke found himself looking at Sakura from the corner of his eye again. She brushed back a strand of pink hair to keep from falling in front of her emerald eyes as she studied one of his various charts. Honesty forced Sasuke to admit that he found Sakura quite alluring. The fact that she was an experienced medic-nin and apprentice to Tsunade of the Sannin didn't hurt either. The corner of his mouth twisted into a soft smile as he realized where his train of thought was leading him. And Sasuke liked the destination.

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"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

He stood at rapt attention as Tsunade put his letter of resignation from Black Ops in her desk. When he had handed it to her, Tsunade didn't speak for a few seconds. Then she asked the question which he answered without hesitation. Tsunade gave him a speculative look, before retrieving her arm and thrusting it forward. In her hand was his old hitai-ite. He removed his wolf mask for the last time and placed on the surface of the wooden desk while simultaneously retrieving his headband. He wrapped it around his head so that all of his medium length brown hair was swept back away from his face. He wore it a little higher than most would, exposing his forehead. Once he finished he stood at attention when Tsunade addressed him.

"In light of your skill and accomplishments, you will be instated as a jonin of Konoha once again," she smiled, "The hunter nin squad is losing one of their best in you, Lloyd."

Lloyd smiled in return,"I know, but what happened to Miki-san at the Dango Inn really worried me. I'm just doing what I think is best for both me and Dae. Well I best be off. Call me if you need me, Tsunade-sama."

With that, he turned and marched out of the Hokage's office. Once outside, Lloyd wondered if his old jonin uniform would still fit as he blurred across the rooftops. Ah, it was good to feel the wind on his face again as a multitude of scents invaded his nostrils. No more heavy, stifling masks for him. A familiar scent caught his attention, and a happy grin formed. He definitely had to visit that place after he cleaned up a bit and changed clothes. He hadn't seen her in a in a couple of years.

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Ichiraku Ayame sighed as she leaned on the counter, her head propped up by her hand. This time of the day was always the most boring. Then again, she didn't think she could eat ramen for breakfast. She smiled as a customer walked in.

"Welcome! How may I he-" she froze, her face a mask of shock as she gazed up at the smiling face of the customer. His light blue eyes looking down on her, a spark of kindness and mischief dancing in them. The strip of short hair that lined his jaw line shifted as a big grin, which exposed a set of sharp canines, formed on his face. His medium length brown hair swept back and held in place by his hitai-ite swayed in the warm breeze that invaded the stand.

"Lloyd-kun...?," she asked in disbelief. The customer simply nodded. At that she quickly vaulted the counter and tackled-hugged Lloyd-kun with all her might, smiling and laughing all the while. She felt his big arms return her hug, lifting her off the ground in the process. She suddenly shrieked in delighted surprise as he spun her around, stopping after one rotation.

"Where have you been all this time?" she managed to say after a few seconds. His reply was calm and jovial.

"Top secret," Ayame nodded in understanding. This was a ninja village after all. He soon set her down, and took a seat at the counter while she took up her post again.

"So what'll ya have, Lloyd-kun?"

Before he could answer...

"NARUTO!!!" The ground practically shook at the sound of Tsunade's apprentice apparently admonishing Naruto-kun. Again. She gave Lloyd-kun a knowing look, and ticked three seconds off with her fingers. As if on cue, an orange and black blur quickly entered the stand and leaped behind the counter. Ayame glanced down to see poor Naruto-kun shaking like the leaf on his head protecter, a look of sheer terror marring his features. A moment later an incensed looking Sakura stomped in. Without a word, Lloyd-kun pointed in a seemingly random direction. Satisfied, Sakura huffed then took off in that direction. Her heart froze as she remembered her first meeting with the blonde boy. This was basically the same thing had happened on Naruto-kun's seventh birthday. Instead of Sakura though, Naruto-kun had been running from a bloodthirsty mob. Lloyd-kun was talking about how he had just made genin when the worn and torn seven year old stumbled into the stand. The poor boy was covered in bruises and cuts. She remembered how her father quickly scooped up the child and hid Naruto-kun in the back while Lloyd-kun mislead the mob. She would never forget the look of sheer disgust Lloyd-kun had on his face after the mob had left. Ayame shook her head to rid it of the memories of those dark days. She was so caught up in thought that she hadn't noticed Naruto-kun leaping the counter and taking a seat next to Lloyd-kun. A smile slowly came to her face. Those days were over, and with Lloyd-kun back things could only get better.

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A/N-Wow! Fifteen chapters already? Please review!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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This guy's mind was a mess. When Tsunade-sama had asked Inoichi and is daughter to take a look at someone, he'd assumed it would just be a quick analysis. But once inside, the true nature of the damage revealed itself. From what he was seeing, Tsunade-sama's initial diagnosis was way off. There were none of the telltale signs of someone with multiple personalities. This was a form of conditioning. His mind had basically been trained to lose itself to bloodlust every time he so much as thought about killing someone. His apparent madness had nothing to do with the curse seal. It was all in his head. And it was so ingrained into his personality that it wouldn't fix itself with time, so direct therapy was really the only viable solution. Inoichi sighed as he released the jutsu. He looked at the giant, unconscious thanks to his daughter's own technique. Inoichi then turned and left the room, hearing Ino close the door behind her as she followed. He thought about possible treatment options as he and his daughter went to report their findings.

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As Inoichi and Ino left, Tsunade leaned back in her chair behind her desk. A lot had been happening these past few days. The whole Hino fiasco. The Uchiha's old teammates sneaking in. The situation with Naruto and Hinata improving _finally_. She smiled at the thought of those two being a couple. Lord knows they deserve each other. She just hoped Hiashi didn't die of apoplexy when they finally did get together. And speaking of couples, she also had to do some investigating when it came to Iruka. Oh she knew full well that Shizune had been seeing the academy teacher for quite some time. He seemed nice enough, but Tsunade wanted to be sure. The last guy that had approached her apprentice was an absolute pig of a noble. When Tsunade and him were alone, she asked him never to approach Shizune ever again. And she asked hard enough to knock him out. Hmph. Nobles. A little killing intent and they pass out like Hinata after an encounter with Naruto. A bark of laughter escaped her full lips as she imagined Hinata passing out after being kissed by her 'Naruto-kun'. A rare smile found itself on her face. Just like Naruto to get her mind of things. But her mirth soon ended as she sat up and left the office. Time to confront 'Hino' again.

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Hino was absolutely ecstatic, though proper etiquette demanded that he didn't show it. Then again, he was being held in maximum security prison. He willed such thoughts away as Tsunade entered the small interrogation room. She sat down and leaned back on the chair opposite him, which Hino presumed was far more comfortable than the one he was strapped in. He decided to get the ball rolling.

"So, here to reconsider my offer?"

Her eyes narrowed, but other than that she was unreadable. She responded, her tone almost mocking.

"Maybe. If you tell me everything...Kaoru."

Damn, she figured it out. Of course 'Nakamura Hino' was a false name, devised by the Tsuchikage to help conceal his identity. Humph. Paranoid old man. The name sounded like something from a corny heroes story. But now the question was...

"How did you know?"

"Never underestimate Konoha's infomation network, Hanabishi."

Ah so she knew his full name. Hanabishi Kaoru. Hanabishi wasn't his real family name, rather the name of the clan that had adopted him. A clan full of sniveling cowards and arrogant aristocrats. The Hanabishi was not a shinobi clan, merely a gathering of relatives of the Hanabishi family. The Hanabishi family held a lot of political and social power in Iwa, but other than that it was merely a gathering of fools. At first he had wondered why the Tsuchikage had put him with the Hanabishi. After his first beating he pretty much figured it out. The Hanabishi were masters of mental conditioning, and had helped craft the techniques used in Iwa's Black Ops program. And the Tsuchikage had given him to the Hanabishi to make a good little pawn out of him. He decided to keep that to himself for now and ask the obvious question.

"Aren't you afraid of keeping someone who is considered royalty in jail?" Normally he hated pulling the nobility card but sometimes being a Hanabishi worked to his advantage.

"The name Hanabishi has no power outside the Land of Earth. Sure if Iwa found out you were here-which they won't-they'd make a fuss, but it really wouldn't change the relationship between the two countries. Besides, you ran away on you're own. You're just another missing nin rotting in jail for his monstrous crimes."

Ouch. But she had a point. Konoha was _very_ good at keeping information and secrets away from the world. Sighing in defeat, Kaoru decided to spill what he knew and about all his plans. Maybe after he was done Tsunade would be a bit more sympathetic.

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Both members of his audience were in awe as Lloyd told his story. How ironic that the stories of his messed up childhood would be so appealing to others. Then again, few in Konoha had ever seen the Western lands. Because chakra coils were so rare in the West, the people there relied more on technology and mechanics to solve their problems. As a result, the Western countries were far more advanced technologically than the East. Though televisions and radios were only the stuff of dreams there. Without chakra, they had no access to electricity until recently. A scientist had discovered that lightning and electricity were one and the same. So he invented a machine which could redirect where lightning struck the ground. In so doing he helped to save countless lives from wildfires caused by lightning. Lloyd had been telling the story of how he had actually met the scientist and learned the basics of electricity from him. And how these basics had helped him to craft some of his Raiton jutsu. That had been only a couple of months before the Sandaime had brought him and his sister to Konoha. Ah, Sarutobi. Lloyd was still trying to pay off his debt to the old man. However his story telling was interrupted by...

"N-naruto-kun." All three occupants swiveled their heads to see Hyuuga Hinata at the entrance to the stand. Like many, Lloyd hoped that Naruto saw the girls feelings for him. He really needed some love in his life. And hopefully the girl's quiet nature would rub off on him, too. Seriously.

"Yeah, Hinata."

"Could I talk to y-you for a second?"

"Sure."

As Naruto got up to leave, Ayame gave the boy a sly wink. Playing along, Lloyd supplied a knowing grin and elbow nudge. Naruto shot them both a dirty look as he left the stand with the Hyuuga heiress. He and Ayame just chuckled at his ire. Once they had left, Lloyd focused his attention on Ayame. She had certainly grown up these past few years. He had harbored a crush on her when he was a genin, and he felt his heartstrings pull looking at her now. Now, he definitely knew he had feelings for her. He squashed his train of thought right there. He didn't want to trouble Ayame with his feelings. He'd wait for a more appropriate time.

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A/N-secrets revealed, stories from a new land, and Hinata actually seeking out Naruto for once! What will the next chapter hold? Please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto.

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Hinata was stealing herself as she and Naruto-kun walked down the street. She was going to tell him how she felt today. She was! She had it planned out and everything! She even asked Tenten and Ino for advice. And she wasn't going to faint!

"So what's up Hinata?" Damn those beautiful blue eyes! Just one look from them turns her to mush. And that smile...No! Not this time. This time would be different.

"I-i was wondering if you wanted to do s-some training again?"

Naruto-kun's face twisted into a thoughtful expression which she found absolutely adorable. Then again, she found all of his exaggerated expressions appealing. He soon smiled down at her and answered.

"Sure! What did you have in mind?" Hinata smiled as she explained to her most precious person what she wanted to do.

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Naruto had to admit that when Hinata had asked to talk to him, he had thought that maybe Hinata had found out about how he felt. But that wouldn't make much sense, seeing as the only people that knew of his newfound feelings were Iruka and the Ichirakus. A part of him had hoped that she might feel the same way, but logic quickly crushed that. She was the heiress to the most powerful and prestigious shinobi clan in the Land of Fire. Hinata literally had her pick of the richest, most handsome men the world had to offer. Why would she choose a lowly orphan like him. Still, Naruto was glad that she wanted to be his friend. That had to count for something. He pushed these thoughts aside when Hinata began to explain what she wanted to do. But she was interrupted by a chunin appearing, telling them that Tsunade-baachan had requested the both of them for a mission.

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Lloyd had just finished his third bowl of beef ramen when a chunin messenger came with a mission request from Tsunade-sama. He nodded in acceptance and the chunin poofed away. Lloyd laid the money on the counter and disappeared in a green and blue blur, the colors of the standard jonin uniform he was wearing. Though his was custom made with short sleeves and part of the vest had been replaced with elastic straps, creating separate front and back sections. As he felt the wind across his face, Lloyd couldn't help but feel a little excited about his first 'normal' mission in four years.

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Tsunade silently tauted her her foot as she waited for the team leader for the mission to arrive. Hinata and Naruto were already her, and the latter was looking rather fidgety. Fortunately, a sharp knock rang through the silence.

"Enter!"

The door opened to reveal the hunter nin that she had decommissioned just a few hours earlier. Tsunade had hoped to give him a couple days off, but a high paying mission came in and Lloyd was the only person she could think with the experience and knowledge to lead a team in that area. She just prayed that he was up for it. She straightened in her seat as she started listing off the details.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata, and jonin Lloyd, a rebellion has recently started in the British colonies of the Western lands, and the rebel leaders have pleaded for help from Konoha. Your mission is to travel to the city of Philadelphia, meet with the rebel leaders, and determine if their cause is worthy. If so, you are to waylay a message back to Konoha. After that, you are to follow the orders of the rebel commanders until reinforcements arrive."

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Lloyd could barely contain the emotions flooding into him. He was assigned to a mission in his home land. Though he was actually born in Boston, being on the same continent, let alone the same colony, again would feel rather nostalgic. He suppressed his thoughts as Tsunade handed him the mission details. It was rather obvious why he had been chosen to lead this mission. He was probably one of the few people in Konoha who spoke Western and was familiar with Western cultural and social practices. Though he had a sneaking suspicion that the heiress of the Hyuuga clan also knew the language. Nobility tended to be multilingual for diplomatic relations. Naruto was the one Lloyd was worried about. He would probably have to teach him some basic Western phrases until he picked up enough to get by. His thoughts suddenly drifted to the kind scientist that had helped him when he was still on the streets. Lloyd hoped that this rebellion wasn't affecting old man Benjamin too much.

"What if the cause isn't worthy, baachan?" At that everyone in the room turned their attention to Naruto. Tsunade-sama looked a little surprised, but nonetheless answered without hesitation.

"Then come back as quickly as possible. Any other questions?" After a short silence, he and his temporary subordinates walked out of the office. As soon as the doors closed he turned to face the teens.

"Alright guys, looks like I'm in charge of this mission. Before we head out tomorrow morning, I would like to get to know you all as well as tutor you a bit on Western social practices. I'll be doing most of the talking, but do either of you know Western?"

Much to his, and apparently Hinata's, surprise both the teens raised their hands. When Naruto noticed the attention he was getting, he sheepishly explained that 'ero-sennin' had him learn Western for when he became Hokage. Lloyd couldn't help the pleased expression on his face. The fact that they both knew the language would make this mission a whole lot smoother.

"Good, good! Well, since we'll be working together for an unknown period of time we might as well get to know each other. How about dinner, my treat? We can discuss things while we eat."

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As the three of them sat down at the Dango Inn restaurant, Hinata began to ponder about the jonin that had been assigned as the team leader. He didn't have a family name, and from his features and height he was obviously from the Western lands. His jonin uniform was also designed with several elastic straps along the side of the vest, and looked as though it were meant to stretch. But those little details were nothing compared to his eyes. His eyes were a fierce ice blue, and when they were on her she felt like she was being stalked by some ferocious predator. They held a spark similar to her teammate Kiba's eyes, but...wilder. As he talked through a mouthful of steak, Hinata had the feeling Lloyd-san was far more than what he seemed.

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A/N-Well, Naruto is heading to the Western lands. And what secrets does Lloyd have? Please review!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto.

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It had been about a week since he, Hinata, and Lloyd had left Konoha for the Western lands. From what Naruto could remember from his geography lessons with ero-sennin, there were three major bodies of land on the planet. Theses gigantic land masses were dubbed the Western, Central, and Eastern lands. The Western lands had recently been colonized by the nations of the Central land mass, forcing the Western natives out of their ancestral homes. Ironically enough, the language commonly used by the people of the Central lands was called Western in the Eastern tongue mainly because for the longest time the Central lands was called the land to the West. Then when knowledge of the true Western continent reached Eastern scholars, the Central language had already been thoroughly established as 'Western'. The scholars were apparently lazy because they made no effort to correct the mistake. They had just crossed the western border of the Land of Wind, which meant they were roughly halfway to the western coast.

Naruto had yet to really form a lasting opinion of Lloyd. He was an orphan from the Central colonies on the Western continent, and was born in a city called Boston. Apparently, chakra coils are extremely rare in Central and Western continents, so someone like Lloyd was a miracle. From what Lloyd had told him the night before they left, the old man Hokage had brought him and his little sister to Konoha to have him trained in the way of the shinobi. Naruto had actually met Lloyd's sister at dinner that night. She was couple years older than him and Hinata. Dae had hazel eyes, dishwater blonde hair, was really short, and had a very kind demeanor. Though she had no problem hitting Lloyd like Sakura-chan hit him when the jonin spoke out of line. That was another thing Naruto noticed that he and Lloyd had in common. Both were orphans. Both were outsiders. Both had a sister figure with a temper. And both had ravenous appetites. Seriously, that guy could eat a horse in one sitting. Before they had left, Hinata had brought up some concerns about Lloyd. Another thing in common. They both had secrets that they would rather not share. That had only increased Naruto's trust in Lloyd. But Hinata had a point. He pushed his thoughts aside as the border for the Lands of Demons came into view. He would have to think about this later. Wait. Land of Demons...Naruto suddenly grew very pale. Hopefully they wouldn't go near the capital. He didn't want to have to deal with Shion.

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Shion, the Priestess of the Land of Demons, sighed wistfully as she leaned on the sill of her window. She wondered if Naruto would visit her soon. She was serious when she propositioned him on that cliff. And he had agreed to help in anyway he could. Just the thought of having Naruto 'assist' her in continuing the line of priestesses made her blush and giggle. She couldn't wait for that day. Shion's daydreaming was cut off by an attendant whispering some news in her ear. Her little smile widened and she quickly ran towards her stable house. Naruto had been spotted crossing the border of her country in the company of two other Konoha shinobi. They were traveling to the west coast, so Shion knew which route he would probably be taking. And therefore she knew she would be able to intercept him before he left the Land of Demons. Her smile grew absolutely predatory as she ordered her carriage to be prepared. Looks like the day she had been waiting for might arrive sooner than expected.

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For the third time since they had crossed the Land of Demon's border, Hinata stole a sidelong glance at Naruto-kun. Ever since the border had come in sight, he had become pale and nervous. If she didn't know any better, Hinata would say that Naruto-kun was scared of something. Whatever it was, she would help protect him from his fears. The thought of soothing Naruto-kun's discomfort danced in her thoughts. Ooh, she hoped something like that would happened. She had been frustrated that this mission had foiled her plans to confess to him. Oh well. It wasn't like someone was going to try to seduce Naruto in the near future.

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"Alright guys, we'll be stopping here for the night. I'll arrange the hotel rooms, so you guys do whatever you want. Apparently there's a festival going on. Have fun. Just be back at the inn by ten." Lloyd stated, then turned and added as an afterthought, "Oh, and no fornicating please. I would rather not explain to Hinata's father why he suddenly has a grandkid on the way."

Satisfied by the teens' expression of shock and embarrassment, Lloyd swiftly entered the hotel with all their packs. The inn was an alright establishment, though his heightened sense of smell picked up a few things. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so he walked up to the receptionist desk with a pleasant smile on his face with the intent of making Naruto and Hinata's stay here as awkward as possible. What? Someone had to get those two together. Might as well be him.

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Damn that Lloyd!! Why'd he have to go and say something like that! His comments not only put some very...scandalous images in his head, but it made the atmosphere between him and Hinata _very_ awkward. Naruto and Hinata walked down the street with about a foot of space between them. He was trying to look at everything but her, while Hinata's gaze was thoroughly fixed on the ground. The summer festival in the little village was quite lively, and both he and Hinata had put away their hitai-ite to better blend in with the civilians. Soon Naruto spied a throwing game. He nudged Hinata gently with his elbow, and he swore he had heard he neck crack when she whipped her head around to look at him. When Hinata's attention was on him, he silently gestured towards the throwing game. With a knowing look, he marched up to the stall. He placed his money down on the counter with a flourish, which elicited a small smile from Hinata. He picked up one of the balls, making weird faces as he pretended to line up his throw. He smiled as the girl giggled.

A few moments later they were walking down the street again, looking much more relaxed than before. And Hinata was snuggling an orange teddy bear to her stomach.

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A/N-Shion has her sights set on Naruto, and Lloyd has his eyes set on matchmaking. Please review.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Grrrr.

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Shikamaru laid back to look up at the clouds. He found himself cloud gazing less and less as of late. Mainly because he didn't really have the time to spare anymore, not since Asuma-sensei had died. Shikamaru sighed as he closed his eyes, planning on taking a nap for a while...

"Oi! Crybaby!"

Shikamaru lazily opened his left eye, only to see Temari leaning over him. Her sandy blonde hair held up in four ponytails as usual helped to block the sun, creating a small spot of shade on his head. Her lips curled into a smirk while deep blue green eyes peered at him. He would never tell anyone this, but Shikamaru absolutely _loved_ when she looked at him like this. Sure, she was the most troublesome woman he had and probably ever would meet. But, like his mother, she could be tender to those he loved. Shikamaru knew that all too well. A knowing smirk twisted his features as he quickly sat up, surprising Temari with a quick peck to the lips. Temari jumped back like she had been burnt, and started admonishing him for such a public display. Shikamaru also loved when she threw these little fits. The flashing anger in her eyes. The light flushing of her face from being angered and embarrassed. Shikamaru just found her expressions just so attractive. Granted, she was beautiful in her own right. He just found her more appealing when she was being herself. And he knew that Temari felt the same about him. That was how their relationship worked. They simply let each other be themselves. If that meant facing her wrath every now and again, so be it. The tender moments afterwards were well worth it.

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Ok, it was official. This was perhaps the best night of her life. I mean, who would have guessed that she would be going to a summer festival _with_ Naruto-kun. Hinata froze solid as she felt a warm, strong hand envelop her own. She slowly looked down, and had all her fears and dreams realized in that instant. _Naruto-kun was holding her hand!!!!!!! _Hinata's gaze shifted to Naruto-kun's face. He was looking at her with those unbelievable blue eyes, a look of nervous apprehension on his face. That same face that he had given her in the cafe. With a shy smile, she laced her fingers with his. The smile she received was absolutely breathtaking. Naruto-kun's mouth opened like he was about to say something when a shrill cry pierced the calm atmosphere.

"Naruto!!"

Naruto-kun froze in sheer terror.

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Who the hell is this chick? Dammit she ruined the whole evening! Lloyd smacked himself in the face in frustration. He had decided to do a little spying to see how things were going along between Naruto and Hinata. They were holding hands and Naruto was probably about to confess his feelings for Hinata when out of no where this blonde in a yellow jacket comes running at the couple screaming the boy's name. His demeanor grew serious when he spotted several figures with bows lurking along the rooftops to surround his subordinates. Lloyd's face twisted in a feral grin as his cold blues eyes gleamed in the darkness. This was gonna be fun. Quick. But fun nonetheless.

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Oh man, this was bad. BadbadbadbadBAD! If Hinata found about his 'agreement' with Shion, than Hinata would hate him. He had to get out of here fast. His body tensed when he heard the question he had been dreading.

"Naruto-kun, who is she?"

Naruto eyes shifted nervously as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. He didn't get much time when Shion marched up to them with the look of a predator on her face.

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As he nocked his arrow, Daisuke observed the one the Priestess desired. He had to admit, Shion-sama had quality taste. The boy had several features that would help to produce a strong heiress to the line of priestesses. He was interrupted by a small sound to his left. He whipped around, aiming his bow. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a large furry arm and glowing blue eyes.

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Who was the woman holding Naruto's hand? Naruto had _promised _to continue the line of priestesses with her. So what was he doing holding hands with this floozy? She'd find out soon enough.

"So Naruto. Here to fulfill your end of our agreement?"

Before Naruto could respond she felt something heavy land behind her. She slowly around and was horrified to see the guards she had on the roofs all tied up laying in a pile just down the road. Shion turned towards Naruto again only to have her vision obscured by a tall broad chest. She looked up to see a scruffy looking Westerner dressed in a standard Konoha ninja uniform. She felt a wave terror wash over her as his luminous blue eyes seemed to pierce her very soul. The giant spoke.

"Look. I don't know what business you have with Naruto, but it will have to wait. We have a mission in the Western lands and we can't afford any delays. So why don't you leave and take your pathetic excuse for a guard detail with you."

Wordlessly, she dashed towards her carriage just outside of town. If this guy was with Naruto, she wouldn't dare approach him again.

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Hinata stared wide eyed at the scene that had just finished unfolding. Lloyd-san had just demonstrated a level of skill which surprised even her. She had noticed the archers on the rooftops and discreetly activated her Byakugan in preparation. What she had seen sent a chill up her spine. She had just witnessed Lloyd's chakra signature _blurring_ across the rooftops, swooping down on the guards and tying them up like it was nothing. But what really had unnerved her was his chakra signature. It wasn't the usual pure blue, but rather a evil looking purple. Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly as Lloyd began addressing them, silently vowing to find out what the jonin was hiding.

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A/N-Naruto and Hinata get closer, and some of Lloyd's true power is revealed. Please review!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Hinata was frustrated. She had been trying to figure out exactly what Lloyd was hiding from them, but everything she had gathered so far was beyond explanation. First of all was that wild demeanor he gave off. The only thing she had seen similar to that was the aura of an Inuzuka, though an Inuzuka looked like a show dog compared to Lloyd. Another thing was his chakra signature. That evil purple unnerved her slightly. And after dealing with the guards, his facial hair had grown lonnger and scruffy.

"Something on your mind, Hinata?"

The poor girl nearly fell of the tree branch from where she was keeping watch. Somehow Lloyd had managed to sneak up on and surprise her. In response to his question, she simply shook her head.

"Your lying. Your body language is a bit stiff and your avoiding eye contact. I noticed you don't really trust me all that much, but we all have our secrets. You'll find out what I am in due time. For now though, relax. Your in good hands."

And with that, Lloyd seemed to vanish from existence. His words had confirmed Hinata's suspicions, and she was still a little freaked out by him. But she decided to let her investigation drop. For now.

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Recent reports had confirmed that Naruto-kun was among the shinobi Konoha had sent. Of course, Itachi wasn't surprised his plan had worked. The mission request was believable, and Naruto-kun would see it as an opportunity to widen his experiences for his ambition to become Hokage. However, the plan had backfired somewhat. Lloyd was with them. That alone would be cause for concern. He had met Lloyd a few times before he was ordered to massacre his clan. He was a prodigy much like himself, and possessed a powerful ability which no one could explain. Unlike him though, Lloyd opted to stay in the Academy until he was the normal age for a genin. That move had confounded Itachi. Though apparently he advanced in the ranks just as fast. Last he heard, Lloyd was the captain of Konoha's hunter-nin squad. Itachi felt another coughing fit coming on, which he quickly suppressed. They had been happening more and more frequently as of late. He was also losing weight, and his skin was paling. Itachi knew it was only a matter of time before this disease consumed him. He just hoped he could hold out and that Kisame would do most of the actual fighting when they sprung the trap.

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Lloyd had suspected something was up the moment the mission was assigned. Westerners were very proud, and seldom asked for outside interference in their affairs. Plus, the message itself was too short and concise. Westerners like to flaunt their mastery of the pen, and often used flowery roundabout language in their writings. His sources confirmed that the rebellion was real, and was surprised to learn that old man Ben among the rebel leaders. Lloyd always knew Ben would change the world. Anyway, something wasn't sitting right with Lloyd, and he had yet to drop his guard since they left Konoha. As he and his subordinates leaped through the trees, a whisper of a scent wafted into Lloyd's nostril. It was very well hidden, and the only reason he noticed it was because of the slight shift of the breeze. But it was there, and it confirmed Lloyd's fears. This whole mission was a trap, and Itachi and Kisame were the lying in wait to ambush them. He called the duo behind him to a halt. He had to explain the situation to Naruto and Hinata.

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When Lloyd had finished disclosing what he discovered, Naruto was pissed more than scared. Why did that Itachi-teme have to keep ruining his life? Naruto realized in horror that it was his fault that Lloyd and Hinata were in danger. He flinched when he felt Lloyd's hand on his shoulder, and the look in his intense eyes seemed to put him at ease. Lloyd turned to address them both.

"Alright guys, the plan is simple: get the Hell back to Konoha. And pray those bastards don't pursue."

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The plan had failed. He should have known such an tricky method wouldn't work. Kisame slammed Samahade into a tree in frustration, creating an explosion of splinters.

"Calm yourself, Kisame."

Kisame whipped around to glare at his partner. Itachi never sat right with him, and this recent failure only increased his ire. Kisame was fed up.

"Dammit Itachi! The only reason we haven't succeeded in catching the Kyuubi brat is because of your damn scheming. It's as if your trying _not_ to-"

Suddenly the wheels in Kisame's head started turning as memories of all their near misses concerning the Kyuubi. Itachi had always insisted on taking the brat himself, and always sent him to deal with distractions.

"You sonova bitch! You are-"

Kisame couldn't finish his tirade as his vocal chords were severed when Itachi decapitated him.

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The scent of blood invaded his nostrils as he and the teens ran for it. The blood of one their pursuers. Lloyd frowned in confusion. The only real explanation for such a event was preposterous. Wold Itachi really kill his partner? And if so, for what reason?

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It was bound to happen sooner or later. Despite his bungling Kisame wasn't stupid. It was only a matter of time before the shark-man discovered Itachi's true intentions: to leak information of Akatsuki's movements to Jiraiya-sama's information network. Jiraiya-sama had approached him mere months after the Uchiha massacre with his idea. Despite his missing-nin status Itachi still cared for his home, so he agreed. His face remained emotionless as he threw the Akatsuki cloak to the ground. Removing Kisame's ring, Itachi leapt into the trees. Time to head home. He just hoped Sasuke would understand why he did what he did.

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A/N-The trap avoided, and what are Itachi's true motives? Please review!


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Jiraiya slowly slipped out of the toad's into the heavy rain. He stood up and looked upon the Ame, praying that he would be able to find something on the leader of Akatsuki. Naruto was depending on him, and Jiraiya had vowed to protect the boy any way he could. Jiraiya made his way to the city, ignoring the pounding drops of water. Time to get started.

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Lloyd didn't know what to expect. When he had detected Itachi heading in the team's direction, he quickly organized them into ambush positions. The plan was quite simple, really. Naruto would be the initial interception, using his clones to slow Itachi down and distract him. Then Hinata would pull a sneak attack, attempting to at the very least slow him down. And lastly Lloyd himself would pull the takedown and capture. The strategy was crude, but it was startlingly effective. Maybe because it was so simple that victims didn't expect it. Lloyd cleared his head as he sensed Itachi approaching the kill zone. Moments later, Itachi leisurely bounded into the clearing. And the trap was sprung. Instantly the traitorous Uchiha was surrounded by Naruto and his Shadow Clones. Lloyd watched as the Clones began to press the attack. Itachi was as sharp as ever, reacting quickly to the assault. At first the Itachi managed to hold off the storm of orange and yellow, but he faltered. A slight wince of pain indicated what Lloyd's nose had found. Itachi was sick. That train of thought was cut short by a loud crack filling the air. Lloyd looked down to see that Naruto had actually landed a pretty solid spinning back kick to Itachi's ribs, and they were probably broken if that crack was any indication. Itachi's face actually expressed shock and pain as he flew backwards. Suddenly, a blur of indigo and lavender shot towards their quarry. Lloyd shifted in his crouch. It was almost his turn.

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As soon as she saw Naruto-kun land that kick, she began to move. Hinata poured on the speed, willing her body to move faster. Her Byakugan revealed that Naruto-kun's kick had suffered a broken rib. And their was something else in his lungs. Hinata pushed these observations aside as she created a chakra blade. With one sweeping motion, she sliced the blade clean through Itachi's left thigh. And she kept going on her path, clearing the path for Lloyd-san to fulfill his part of the plan.

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Itachi was not at all surprised that Lloyd would try to capture him. It was Lloyd's instinct as a hunter-nin to do so. What Itachi hadn't expected was the attacks from Naruto-kun and the Hyuuga girl. Naruto-kun's use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu was simply brilliant, and he coordinated the attacks flawlessly. Though he wasn't really trying to fend of the blonde mob, he was shocked that the jinchuuriki had managed to land a solid blow. And in the aftermath of that assault the Hyuuga girl simply blind-sided him by cleanly severing all the muscles in his left thigh with a weird variation of Jyuuken. After that Lloyd had tackled him with the force of a freight train. And now he was leaning against a tree, being stared down by his captors. Lloyd had definitely grown since he last saw him. He was almost six feet tall now, and sported a scruffy beard. But those wild blue eyes remained unchanged. And they were boring into him. Naruto-kun had a look of grim satisfaction on his face, while the Hyuuga girl...Hinata! That was her name. While Hinata looked on with a sense of awe. Lloyd spoke in his low voice.

"Okay Itachi, you have thirty seconds to explain your actions. And don't hold out on us. I can tell if your lying."

Itachi couldn't help but smirk, and he calmly began to tell a tale he had told no one else.

"Well, if you want to hear the whole story, it began when my father called me to my office to discuss something. He told me of the Uchiha were planning something that would spell disaster for the Land of Fire. A coup de'etat..."

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Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the looks he was getting as he walked down Konoha's main market street. He supposed he really shouldn't be shocked by them. A traitor like him deserved no less. The council had sentenced him to three years of confinement within Konoha. After that, depending on his behavior in that three year period, his status as a shinobi would be decided. Sasuke knew he got off lightly, but he was the last Uchiha. And as such the last possible chance to repopulate the Uchiha district. Of course it wasn't all bad Sasuke thought as he inconspicuously gazed at the woman at his side. Sakura kept pace with him, a pleasant smile on her face. Sasuke knew he was falling for her, slowly but surely. And he also knew that Sakura's little crush on him from three years ago had blossomed into a full blown love. The only thing that kept him from asking her out was the guilt. Sasuke frowned a little as the memories of all the times he had wronged the kunoichi came flooding into his mind. Constantly insulting her worth as a shinobi. Throwing her feelings in her face time and again. Leaving her on that bench...

Sasuke's thought processes ground to a halt as he realized that Sakura had stopped. He turned to see her looking down at a bench. _The_ bench. Sasuke tried to hide his distress as he slowly approached the young woman. Her rose colored hair hid her face from view, making it impossible to see her expression.

"What did you mean by 'thank you'?"

Sasuke was alarmed by how dead her voice sounded, and was simply stunned by the question. It took a moment for him to recollect, but he anwered.

"Because you tried to stop me. You had genuine feelings for me, the Uchiha headcase." At that she turned to look him in the eyes, "I was thanking you...for loving me despite all my flaws and imperfections. I was a fool to spurn your affections like I did. A-and I want you to know, I always did feel...protective of you. And even now I feel as if my heart is constricting. I treated you like crap, and here you are looking at me with all that love in your eyes! Love I never deserved! Love I never will deserve! Love I don't deserve! Sakura I-"

Sasuke was interrupted by Sakura's snaking around his neck, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Sasuke was frozen solid by the sudden movement, but made no effort to push her off either.

"Thank you."

And she kissed him with all her might. Sasuke quickly returned her kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. He made himself a silent promise that day. To never let go of Sakura again.

Ever.

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A/N-Itachi is captured, Jiraiya has infiltrated Rain, and Sasuke and Sakura finally get together. Please review!


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Naruto's head swam as he tried to process all of the information Itachi had dumped on them. According to him, the Uchiha clan was planning a rebellion of some sort that would have severely weakened Konoha. And in that weakness its enemies would have crushed the village. So Itachi was _ordered _by the elders to eradicate his own clan. After that he became a missing-nin, but not before giving Sasuke a reason to get stronger. And after all that, Ero-sennin had asked him to be a spy within Akatsuki. Gah! It was so confusing! But Naruto got the gist of the story: that Itachi was one of the good guys the whole time. Of course, Lloyd confirmed that none of the tale was a lie. But when Lloyd mentioned getting the whole story from Ero-sennin, Itachi interjected.

"That won't be possible." Lloyd turned his head to look at Itachi as he continued, "Jiraiya-sama is in Ame right now confronting the leader. He intends to gather all the information he can. And he's probably going to sacrifice himself in the process."

At that, Naruto's stomach turned into a ball of ice. The thought of Ero-sennin being gone was...Naruto whipped around, glaring at Itachi and Lloyd.

"There's no way in Hell that I'll let Ero-sennin sacrifice himself! C'mon we gotta rescue him! Ame is close to here!"

Lloyd looked at him with an unreadable expression, before nodding.

"I agree with Naruto. We need Jiraiya-sama alive. But you can't come, Naruto."

"Why not!?"

"Because the leader will capture you and you know what that means," came a cool response from Itachi.

Naruto was outraged. Just because he had the Kyuubi in him they didn't think that he should help. He could defend himself! He wanted to explode on these guys, and tell all the reasons he should be helping. But before he could, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around to see Hinata looking at him with worry.

"A-ano, Lloyd-san is right. If Akatsuki's leader will be there, and they are hunting for you, then you should stay away."

"But-"

"Naruto-kun...please"

Looking at those lavender eyes about to burst into tears was too much. Naruto sighed and nodded, which told the older shinobi that he was resigned to his fate. Lloyd gave a small smile.

"Good. Now Hinata, could you please heal up Itachi the best you can? I'm going to need his help in rescuing Jiraiya-sama."

Hinata nodded and went over to Itachi. Then Naruto thought of something.

"Then what will I do?"

Lloyd looked thoughtful for a second. Then responded with a wide grin.

"You and Hinata head for the capital city of the Land of Demons. You should be safe there. And you can work out the situation with the high priestess."

Naruto blanched.

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An hour later Lloyd and Itachi were flying through the trees towards Ame at breakneck speed. Despite his injuries, Lloyd reasoned that Itachi was at about seventy-five percent fighting capability. Lloyd frowned as Itachi's scent filled his nose. He wondered if Itachi was even aware that he was sick at all. Lloyd decided to inform him just in case.

"Itachi." Lloyd didn't get an answer, but Lloyd knew the Uchiha was listening. Lloyd continued.

"I know what's making you sick. It's a lung infection called consumption. It's somewhat common in the West, so I know some of the details. From what I can tell your case is mild, but if you don't get medical attention soon, it will probably kill you."

Itachi didn't respond at first. When he did, it was exactly what Lloyd expected.

"How long do I have?"

"Hard to tell. In the West the normal rate of decline is a month from infection. But for people like us it's probably much longer due to our unnatural constitutions."

Itachi simply nodded and turned his attention to the path ahead. Lloyd's face hardened as he did the same. The border to Ame was less than ten minutes away. No time for idle chatter.

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Tsunade leaned back in her chair, eyes cast down at the paper work on her desk. To put it simply she was worried. Not only about Jiraiya, but about Naruto, Hinata, and Lloyd. Something about the Western mission didn't sit right with her. But it was too late to call them back now. Tsunade sighed as she pulled out a bottle of sake from her stash. If she never had a reason to drink before, Tsunade definitely had one now.

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The fact that it wasn't raining set off alarm bells in Itachi's head. He was aware that the leader used a rain jutsu to detect intruders in the area. So the fact that it wasn't raining meant one of two things.

"Lloyd." Lloyd inclined his head, indicating that he was listening.

"The leader of Akatsuki uses rain to detect intruders. Seeing as it is not raining now, it means we have the element of surprise. On the other hand, it probably means that Jiraiya-sama has been discovered."

Lloyd frowned slightly as he took this information, and it seemed to Itachi that he was forming a plan of action. Itachi understood how hunter-nin operated. They often came up with plans on the fly, using circumstance and information to their advantage to catch the target unawares. No doubt that hearing that they had the drop on the leader was like music to Lloyd's ears. Itachi quieted his thoughts as Lloyd spoke.

"Knowing that means we'll have to move fast and hit hard. We need to swoop in, grab Jiraiya-sama, and cause a lot of damage in the process. We'll also have to deter any attempts at pursuit."

"I know a way we can stop any pursuers while causing large scale destruction."

"Good. I'll leave that to you, then."

And with a nod towards each other, the two shinobi shot off in different directions as they entered the city.

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A/N-Lloyd and Itachi began their rescue attempt, and Naruto will have to face his problems. Please review!

Note-Consumption is the historical name for Tuberculosis, a type of infection that destroys the body from the inside. Has roughly a fifty percent fatality rate.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Jiraiya panted as he surveyed his situation. The leader of Akatsuki, Pein, seemed to be one of the three kids from Ame that he had trained. He had six bodies that all possessed the legendary Rinnegan which helped to create the modern shinobi world. They also had sight sharing, and each body seemed to have its own unique ability. One was a summoning specialist, while another had the ability to absorb chakra based attacks. Jiraiya grimaced as Pa pulled that chakra scrambling blade out of his shoulder. He looked down at the body he had managed to stop, and froze as he recognized it as a shinobi he had fought in the past. In fact, all of the bodies of this Pein were familiar to the toad sage. Jiraiya willed those thoughts away as he refocused on the battle. He had managed to put up a barrier, which would halt his enemy for a few seconds at least. Jiraiya's thoughts were interrupted when the familiar 'crump' of an explosion rang through the air. Soon he was almost deafened by the sound of explosions going off throughout the village. Pein looked around frantically, obviously not expecting an all out assault like this. Jiraiya winced in pain and the barrier he put up fell. He quickly pulled himself to his feet, and hoped that whatever was causing those explosions would keep Pein distracted.

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When Lloyd found Jiraiya-sama, he couldn't believe the shape the old man was in. He had never seen a sannin in this bad of shape. He frowned as he realized that engaging the enemy was out of the question now. He didn't want to fight something that could actually maul Jiraiya-sama like that. Lloyd spared a glance at Jiraiya-sama's opponents, and noted that they all had many piercings, the same hair and eyes, as well as Akatsuki cloaks. One of the opponents was dead, thanks to the sannin's barrier. Lloyd concentrated for a second and suddenly felt that wild energy rush through him. As he watched his hands transform, Lloyd quickly planned his trajectory in order to make this work. As another explosion went off, Lloyd couldn't help but think that Itachi was overdoing it just a little. Oh well, that didn't matter. Lloyd's now glowing eyes narrowed as one of the enemies sped towards the Toad Sage. A feral grin found itself on Lloyd's morphed features. He quickly calculated the speed of the opponent as he unscrewed the scroll case attached to the bottom of his pack.

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As the body approached, Jiraiya only had time to brace himself for the assault. Then in a flash of grey and green the body disappeared. The remaining bodies all snapped their heads towards where their fellow had been previously. Before he could even think on what had happened, Jiraiya felt himself being roughly grabbed by his vest and pulled out the area at an alarming rate. Jiraiya quickly looked at his captor. A grin of recognition crossed Jiraiya's face. He knew exactly who had just grabbed him. Who else could turn himself into something like that. But the question was what the captain of Konoha's hunter-nin squad was doing here.

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Itachi silently watched as Lloyd took out one of the enemies and grabbed Jiraiya-sama all within the span of two heartbeats. Impressive. Itachi made a simple hand sign, setting off the rest of the explosive tags and silently leaped away in the direction Lloyd had retreated to. Now to foil any attempt at pursuit. Itachi closed his right eye as he engaged the Mangekyou Sharingan, channeling chakra to his left eye. He felt the familiar sting as blood began to pour out of his left eye socket.

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Konan was not one for emotions anymore, but she couldn't help but be stunned by what she saw. She had actually got a good look at whatever had rescued Jiraiya-sensei, and the sight was something to remember. It was some kind of man-beast hybrid, possibly a wolf or a dog. Whatever it was it was mind-numbingly fast and actually managed to blind-side one of Pein-sama's bodies. Then it raced back, grabbed Jiraiya-sensei, and leaped a huge distance at a very high velocity. But what chilled her the most were its eyes. They were this incandescent blue that seemed to create trails of light as it zipped past. Konan quickly shook herself out of her stupor and prepared to pursue, when a huge wall of black flames suddenly appeared along the entire northern wall of the village. Itachi. He must have been the one responsible for all those explosions throughout the village. Konan frowned slightly as she realized that Itachi was the reason Konoha was able to track them so well. Pein-sama would not be pleased.

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Pein observed the barrier of black flames with a calm disinterest. He had figured that Itachi was probably the mole, seeing as he had the most reasons to betray them. He felt a little annoyed as he reasoned that Kisame must be dead and that Itachi had probably taken both their rings. Those rings were the key to the jutsu that extracted the bijuu from their hosts. Without them, he couldn't replace the members of Akatsuki he had lost. All the Pein's eyes narrowed as they realized that Konoha had robbed him of over half of Akatsuki, and possessed five of the rings. He looked at the dark flames with a calm rage. The master's plan was beginning to fall apart. And now Konoha had a significant amount of information on him as well. Pein calmed himself as he leapt down to retrieve the body that had been taken out by that wolf-man. When he reached the area, the body was nowhere to be found. A large impact crater was the only physical evidence of the blur having landed. A quick scan with his Rinnegan revealed traces of chakra lining the bottom of the crater. The Peins' faces contorted in rage as they realized what had happened.

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A/N-The rescue is successful, but what did Lloyd do? Please review!


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N- Words with brackets like these are spoken in a foreign language

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Lloyd couldn't suppress a grim smile as he leapt through the trees with Jiraiya-sama draped over his shoulder. Lloyd imagined that his expression was rather frightening in his current state. But he didn't care. The plan had worked flawlessly. Itachi's scent strengthened as the Uchiha began to catch up. Lloyd was silently relieved to know that Itachi had managed to get out safely. Not only that, but there were no signs of a pursuit. Whatever Itachi did had done the trick. Lloyd spotted a clearing up ahead, decided to wait for Itachi to catch up. As he landed, he gently placed Jiraiya-sama on the ground. The sannin looked rather chagrined.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but what the Hell were you thinking!"

"Konoha needs you alive, Jiraiya-sama. Besides, I felt like raising a little hell and I was in the neighborhood." The sannin crossed his arms over his chest and stuck his nose up. Lloyd almost jumped at his now deep and feral sounding voice. It had been a while since he had gone full hybrid form.

"Yeah, well you could have waited until I gathered that dead body! Now we'll never-"

Jiraiya-sama was silenced by a scroll bouncing off his chest. With lightning reflexes the old man snatched the scroll out the air. After a quick once over, Jiraiya opened the scroll. A grin full of glee graced his face. Lloyd couldn't help but wear a smug smirk. Well, as best he could smirk in his condition.

"Is this-! Damn kid, I underestimated you. No wonder Tsunade made you captain of the hunter-nin squad."

Lloyd smiled as he flashed back to the moment. After killing that enemy that had been charging Jiraiya-sama, Lloyd had quickly slammed an open body storage scroll onto the corpses chest. When he landed, the body was quickly sealed into the scroll by the force of the impact. After that, it was a simple matter of rapidly storing the scroll on his return trip to pick up the sannin. It was a trick he had used several times to quickly extract valuable marks from an area. And he was pleased to know that Jiraiya-sama was impressed by his skills. Lloyd's ego bender was interrupted by Itachi landing next to him. As the Uchiha stood up, Lloyd noticed a trail of recently dried blood originating at Itachi's left eye. Lloyd also noticed that he was severely drained. Itachi raised an eyebrow when he looked at him. Lloyd then realized that he was still in his hybrid form. He grinned sheepishly as he sat down in a meditative pose. Getting out of this form was a lot harder than getting into it.

"Kid! What was your name?" Lloyd heard Jiraiya-sama inquire.

"Lloyd."

"That's right. Old man Sarutobi brought you back from the West, didn't he?"

Lloyd simply nodded, concentrating on purging the wild energy that was now circulating through his body.

"I have to ask, Lloyd. How are you able to change form like that?"

Lloyd opened a single eye to look at Itachi. He sighed as he felt the fur receding.

"Lycanthropy."

Itachi didn't respond, and Lloyd had the sneaking suspicion that he didn't understand what the Western word meant. Good thing Jiraiya-sama was willing to clarify.

"It means he's a werewolf, Itachi."

"Werewolf? I thought that was just a Western myth."

"Nope. Their real as you and me. You see, lycanthropes are people with the ability to channel nature energy much like a sage. Only they don't need to meditate or use a medium to do so."

Lloyd decided to interject. "Though you can't choose your form, and you have to deal with increased aggression and a lust for violence. And it's hard to get the nature energy out of you system. Still, I would have been dead several times over without this ability."

Itachi simply nodded in understanding. Lloyd soon brought himself to his feet and stretched in his human form again, albeit with longer facial hair. That was one of the more annoying side effects of being a werewolf. He nodded to Jiraiya-sama and Itachi, and with that the trio launched themselves into the forest canopy.

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Hinata couldn't believe this was happening. She and Naruto-kun had followed Lloyd-san's orders and travelled to the capital. It wasn't far, and the heavy security made it an ideal place to hide. When they arrived, they were ambushed by over two hundred archers. The captain of the ambush party demanded that Naruto-kun be sent to the high priestess immediately. After Naruto-kun was escorted into the city walls, the guards had closed the gates and denied her access. Hinata had never felt so furious in her life. She wanted to find that stupid priestess and...well...she didn't want to think about such things. Hinata had set up a camp just outside the capital city's walls, waiting for a sign of Naruto-kun or Lloyd-san.

She didn't have to wait much longer as Lloyd-san, Itachi, and Jiriaya-sama quietly landed on the outskirts of the camp. Hinata stood to greet them when Lloyd-san spoke.

"What are you doing out here, Hinata? And where's Naruto?"

Hinata frowned as she began to explain what had happened. By the time she was halfway through, Lloyd-san's killing intent was washing over the area. It was like being surrounded by the most frightening predators imaginable, and that one inch of movement would provoke them to rip her to shreds. Hinata was silently thankful that she was not the target of this rage. On that note, Jiraiya-sama had a look of pride, while Itachi was just as emotionless as ever. After she finished telling the tale, Lloyd-san abruptly stood up and marched towards the gate. Hinata stood up and asked.

"Where are you going, Lloyd-san?"

His response was icy and sharp.

"I'm going to knock on her door."

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Shion was quite pleased with the recent turn of events. Her guards had captured Naruto, and managed to keep that indigo haired wench out of the city. Shion smiled as she strolled down the halls of her palace. A loud explosion startled her, causing her to fall to the floor. Shion held her head as she heard the shouts of the guards. She quickly picked herself up and looked out the window, and was horrified to see the main village gate was _gone_. She heard the guard's cries of fear and pain as something tore down main street. Her eyes widened as she recognized the person causing trouble as the same Konoha shinobi that had foiled her plans to get Naruto last time. Shion was paralyzed with fear as sweat began to pour down her brow. The scruffy ninja suddenly leapt through the window she was looking through. He gave her a glance, and the fear she had felt multiplied a hundred fold. And as quick as it came, the fear subsided as he marched down the corridor to where Naruto was being kept. She dared not to look as a cracking sound signaled that the shinobi had kicked down the door to Naruto's room. After some scuffling sounds, both he and Naruto quickly leaped out of the nearest window. And just like that it was over.

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A/N-Lloyd's power is revealed, and Naruto is saved from Shion's grasp. Please review!


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Naruto sighed in relief as he, Lloyd, Hinata, Itachi, and Ero-sennin walked through Konoha's western gate. After Lloyd had rescued him, the group was forced to leave the Land of Demons rather quickly. Thankfully Shion was too scared of encountering the Westerner again to give chase. After that, Naruto explained the whole situation. Lloyd laughed out loud, Jiraiya was scribbling furiously on his notepad, Itachi simply smirked, and Hinata blushed a great deal. Then Lloyd had said that the deal was void because he didn't understand what Shion was talking about. Naruto had sighed in relieve at that. Then, in a quiet voice, Lloyd told everyone that he was a werewolf. It took Naruto a second to process that, but honestly he thought it was freaking cool. Hinata was silent for several moments, then she simply nodded to Lloyd as though she learned something important. Anyway, they were back home and on their way to report to Tsunade-baachan about everything.

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When she heard the whole story of what happened, Tsunade was without words. Not only was the Western mission a trap for Naruto, but the man that devised it was Jiraiya's main informant on Akatsuki. The fact that the Uchiha clan was killed by order of the elders was something that could definitely be used against those arrogant fossils. Maybe even get them arrested. Danzou would cover his tracks well enough to get away, but the elders weren't smart as they claimed they were. For now she put Itachi in protective custody, and dismissed everyone but Lloyd. Now to find out about the other, more secret objective of the mission. Tsunade asked Lloyd.

"So how did it go?" Lloyd put on a smile full of mischief as he responded.

"Well, things were going smoothly until the high priestess of the Land of Demons showed up. But they did hold hands. I think he just discovered his feelings for her, and being around him all the time is giving her more confidence. It's only a matter of time now."

"Thanks Lloyd."

"No problem Tsuna-"

"I mean for saving Jiraiya. I don't know what Konoha would do without him."

Lloyd could probably hear the slight emotion in her voice, because he silently nodded and dismissed himself. Tsunade sighed as she cradled her head in her hands for a moment, silently thanking Kami that Lloyd and Itachi were in the area. But quickly sat up and began to mentally address other matters. Tsunade was displeased by the interference, but ultimately her pet project was making progress. Tsunade smiled at the thought that her plans were coming to fruition. Those two would be together in no time the way things were escalating between them. Tsunade had been bored in her office one day when she came up with the notion of playing matchmaker with her shinobi. It helped to humanize them so that she would value their lives more, which was her duty as Hokage. Plus it was just plain fun! Naruto and Hinata falling in love would be the latest in her line of achievements. She had gotten Neji to think of Tenten as a woman rather than a teammate with several well place comments. Tsunade had assigned Sakura to be Sasuke's nurse, knowing that Sasuke would eventually warm-up to her apprentice. She always made Shikamaru escort Temari around whenever she visited from Suna, seeing as they already had something for each other to begin with. Now all she had to do was to put Naruto and Hinata on several longer but easier missions together and things would work themselves out. Tsunade reclined in her chair and leaned back, and began to plan which of her shinobi she should work on next. A certain masked ninja with white hair came to mind, and Tsunade could barely hide an evil smile. The only question would be what lucky kunoichi would win the prize.

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Anko sneezed violently, splatting a small piece of dango on the wall at the other end of the shop. She fumed silently as she continued eating. Anko _hated_ sneezing. It left her wide open to attack from any competent shinobi. As she took another bite of her dango, Anko's mind wondered to Suigetsu. He was still in prison at the moment, but would be released soon. She just hoped the shark boy was telling the truth. Anko didn't want to have to deal with the consequences.

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Kaoru looked up as several ANBU entered his cell block. He had yet to hear Tsunade's answer pertaining to his scheme. The guards stopped in front of his cell. Kaoru smiled mockingly at them, but he was ignored as the guards quickly unshackled him. They then escorted him out of the cell block. Kaoru was soon sitting unrestrained in a familiar interrogation room, with Tsunade in the seat across the table. The Hokage looked up at him, and said the words that would change the world.

"Alright Kaoru. We'll let you go so you may accomplish your plans.

Kaoru simply smiled.

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Sasuke's eyes blazed as he stormed into the prison lobby. When the dobe had told him, Sasuke abandoned him and Sakura at Ichiraku. He needed to see for himself. His cold killing intent filled the room, causing those susceptible to shiver. Sasuke didn't spare anyone a second glance as he pushed aside the doors leading to the protective custody cell block. As soon as he entered he could feel him. Sasuke didn't even need to ask as he marched right up to a cell. The man lying on the bed inside simply raised his head from a book.

Sharingan met Sharingan.

"Hello, itouto."

"Itachi..."

Itachi simply sighed as he closed his book and sat it on the night-stand. Sasuke's gaze never left him as he lifted himself to a sitting position. His brother then looked him in the eyes, and Sasuke was startled to see that his brother's Sharingan was deactivated. Sasuke responded by doing the same.

Onyx met onyx.

"What are you doing here, Itachi? Because if you let yourself be captured just to get to the dobe, I swear-"

"It isn't like that Sasuke."

"Then what the hell are you doing here!?"

Itachi sighed, and Sasuke felt a slightly guilty for berating his brother. But he ruthlessly killed the guilt. He deserved answers.

"Well, to truly explain why I am sitting here, a story must be told. A story about our clan before the massacre."

"I'm listening."

Sasuke listened intently as his brother began.

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A/N-Naruto and party return to Konoha, Kaoru is being let loose, and Sasuke confront Itachi. Please review!


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-I apologize. From now on, foreign languages will be in (parenthesis). Hopefully.

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Though he would never express it out loud, Shino was glad that the mission was almost over. He had to admit that Lee proved to be an extremely effective partner. Lee's speed and taijutsu prowess more than made up for his own deficiencies in that department. His bright attitude also helped to put the noble at ease, making the trip much more pleasant. Once he was returned to his home safely, the lord expressed his trust in Konoha. And now he and Lee were heading home. He and Lee had decided to splurge and stay in a tavern tonight. The air inside the bar was filled with acrid smoke and the spicy smell of sake. It wouldn't have been too bad if not for the loud, surly group of Westerners that had decided to spend their evening drinking and smoking in the bar. Upon closer observation, all the Westerners were big, muscular men with large amounts of body hair, with a couple of rather wild looking women mixed in. One particularly burly individual appeared to be the ringleader. A wreath of thick cigar smoke floated above his head, which was covered in long, greasy black hair with a matching beard. Piercing through all that hair was a pair of twinkling gold eyes. A set of gleaming white teeth with enlarged canines were set in a pleased, almost evil smile. Bulky, rippling muscle flexed under hairy, leathery skin. They were all speaking in a hushed, gravelly Western, but Shino was able to make out a few words.

"(Found the runt)...(Konoha)...(attack next week)."

At that Shino discreetly signaled Lee with a twitch of the hand. Both men swiftly left the tavern without so much a glance backwards. Information on an imminent threat to the village was more important than a good night's sleep.

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Naruto couldn't keep the silly grin off his face as he watched Hinata train. It had been a week since the 'Western mission' fiasco, and Tsunade-baachan had given Hinata and him a week off. Though tomorrow they would start doing missions again, Naruto would be saddened by not getting to hang out with the Hyuuga girl as much. Maybe he could ask baachan to pair him with Hinata more on missions. All he had to do was bribe the old lady with a bottle of sake. Naruto's smile became more pleasant as he watched Hinata pull off a particularly acrobatic strike. Hinata. If he had been told that he would feel this way towards her a month ago, he would have been confused. Before that initial training session, he had never seen Hinata as more than a strong shinobi. Now he saw a beautiful, strong woman with a drive. A woman that he was pretty sure he was falling in love with. Naruto frowned as he realized that Hinata probably didn't think of him in any romantic ways. Heh. Story of his life.

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Jiraiya scribbled down some final details into his notebook as he watched the brat and the Hyuuga girl in the clearing. Jiraiya knew the range of Naruto's chakra sense, which explained the need for the telescope. A pervy grin plastered itself on the sannin's face as he thought about the money he could make on his upcoming book. As he tucked his pad away, Jiriaya knew he owed the kid one. He had heard from Lloyd about Naruto's rather passionate reaction upon hearing his plans to gather intel about Pein from Itachi. He also owed Lloyd and Itachi for pulling his ass out of the fire. With a quick seal his telescope disappeared in a puff of smoke back into the sealing scroll. Tucking the scroll away, Jiraiya thoughts came back to Lloyd. He wasn't aware that Tsunade had made the kid a jonin again. The sannin simply shrugged as he leapt away to do more research.

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Kaoru frowned as the first raindrop fell on his cheek. He looked up, estimating that it would be raining cats and dogs within the hour. Upon figuring that Kaoru picked up his pace. Of course he was already zipping along in the trees. He had a timetable to keep to. If he wanted the first part of his plan to succeed, Kaoru knew he had to be in Land of Apples by next week. Or else he might miss the contact. The lord of the Land of Apples was a new nation, with an agreement with Konoha over trade and shinobi employment. No never mind that the Land of Apples was along the least guarded border of the Land of Earth. He was startled as two men, one dressed in grey and the other in green, shot past him heading towards the direction of Konoha.

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"Are you sure about this, Ayame?"

"Absolutely, Lloyd-kun. I cut dad's hair all the time."

"Ok. Just don't cut it to short. I like having a little length.

Ayame simply nodded. As he heard the snikt snikt of the scissors biting into his hair, Lloyd began to steel himself for the task to come. After Ayame was done with his hair, he was going to ask her to go with him to the approaching summer festival. It was time he told her how he really felt. It was going to be a gamble, but Lloyd was going to remain optimistic.

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"A coup, huh?"

Itachi nodded as he leaned back on his bed. Sasuke was stunned to silence as he heard his brother tell the story of his clan's deceit and betrayal. But what really got him was that the village elders had _ordered_ his brother to commit the massacre. That had angered him, and he almost left to murder the elders right then and there. But Itachi told him that Tsunade was already taking care of it herself. Sasuke smirked as he remembered the Hokage's loathing for the village elders. The smirk faded as Sasuke remembered something very crucial about that awful night.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Itachi stayed silent for a moment.

"...because you're my foolish little brother."

A single tear snaked itself down Sasuke's cheek, and he let a single sob escape. It was right then and there that the younger Uchiha realized that he never lost his brother to begin with.

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A/N-Sorry for the wait! Christmas and all that.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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The summer festival was tomorrow, and Hinata was beyond nervous. She was going to ask Naruto-kun to the summer festival after this mission was finished. For some miraculous reason, Tsunade-sama had been assigning her and Naruto together on the last few missions. And spending so much time with the object of her affections helped to make her more confident. Hinata was proud to say that she no longer stuttered in Naruto-kun's presence, and was able to look him in the eye without blanking out. But the prospect of asking Naruto-kun out on a date was beyond terrifying. What if he said no? What if he already had a date? What if he laughed at her? Hinata shook her head to clear it. She refused to go down that path. She had changed. And she was going to get what she wanted. Hinata quickened her pace to catch up with Naruto-kun. They had been walking back to the village, escorting a minor noble.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah, Hinata?" Hinata couldn't help the dusting of blush that spread across his face when he smiled down on her. He was just so gorgeous!

"I was wondering if you were planning on going to the summer festival tomorrow?" Naruto-kun's face bore a mask of confusion for a moment before he answered.

"I wasn't planning on it." Hinata felt her heart sank a little, but she would not give up. Not this time.

"Why not?"

"I really don't see the appeal."

"Well, what if someone asked you out?" Naruto-kun became more focused on her now, and Hinata felt her face heat up under his intense gaze.

"Depends on who's asking." Hinata felt the butterflies in her stomach take off as she asked the question. All or nothing.

"What if I asked you?"

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Sasuke was doing something he wasn't really known for doing.

He was smiling.

Tsunade--sama had discovered the elders responsible for the order of the Uchiha massacre and swiftly delt punishment. Not only were they stripped of all their power, titles, and wealth, but they were also banished from the village. But that wasn't the reason Sasuke was smiling. It was the beautiful pink-heired woman grasping his elbow had just agreed to accompany him to the summer festival to be held tomorrow.

"What about this one, Sasuke-kun?"

They were currently in the shopping district of Konoha. Sakura had insisted on overhauling Sasuke's entire wardrobe, claiming she was sick of his old outfit he wore while serving under Orochimaru. Sasuke didn't mind his clothes, but it couldn't hurt to update his look. Plus, he needed a yukata for the festival.

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Ino sulked behind the counter of her family's flower shop, several issues weighing on her mind. The most prominent issue being what she was gong to do about the summer festival. She didn't want to go alone, nor did she feel like asking one of her puppets. Her puppets being the scores of men and the occasional woman she had managed to wrap around her finger. Most of them were brainless idiots she used to gather and spread information throughout the village. They were efficient and easy to manipulate. Just show a little skin and they were butter. Then again, the Yamanaka clan was well known for their beauty and understanding of the human mind. For a Yamanaka, manipulating someone was as simple as breathing. Her moping was interrupted by the door chime. She looked up and recognized her friend and teammate Chouji walking into the shop. His large frame towered over the many flower shelves, his muscles shifting under his battle armor. The Akimichi clan, of which Chouji was the heir, was known for their huge physiques. A stray thought shot through Ino's head and a vicious smile spread across her face. She must have looked pretty scary, because Chouji swallowed very hard when they made eye contact.

"Chouji." Ino purred as she sauntered around the counter. Chouji dropped the bag of chips he was munching on, eyes glued on her own. "Would you mind accompanying me to the summer festival."

"U-uh-um."

"Splendid. Pick me up at 6:30."

Ino waited until Chouji stumbled out the shop in confusion before she burst out loud laughing. Sure she was taking advantage of Chouji's kind hearted nature, but it was just so much fun to tease him.

Plus he was cute in his own way.

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Kakashi inwardly sighed as he observed the decorations for the festival being set into place. He really didn't care for festivals. Not since Rin died. Kakashi forced his attention back to his book to rid himself of such depressing thoughts. Then again, he wasn't getting any younger. Kakashi snapped his book shut, tucking it into his weapon pouch. Lazily looking around, he spotted a familiar spiky haired silhouette sitting in the nearby dango shop. Kakashi made a beeline towards the shop. Tsunade-sama had made a comment the other day about Anko spending most of her time buried in her work and the interrogation office. And in his experience, all work and no play make shinobi go insane. Kakashi shuddered as the image of Gai flashed through his conscious. He quickened his pace. Gai and his student Lee were all Konoha could handle.

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His golden eyes scanned the festival grounds with glee. The timing was perfect! While the population was busy with the fair, he and the pack could easily swoop in, kill the runt, and get out. He shifted in his crouch before launching himself to the forest loam. He landed with a large thud, causing the rest of the pack to snap their heads to them. He panned his head, taking in all the golden eyes now focused on him. A series of yips and growls escaped between his sharp teeth. He smiled a vicious smile as the pack howled and his laugh echoed through the forest. It was good to be the alpha.

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A/N-The gang is preparing for the festival, and who knows what will happen! Please review!


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Lloyd smiled as the scents of the summer festival overpowered his nostrils. The glow of the various paper lamps lining the fairgrounds lit the festival in a soft orange. The buzz of the crowd was hypnotic as he strolled down the main road of the festival. But all the sights and sounds paled in comparison to the beauty of the woman next to him. Her medium length brown hair was put up into a simple bun held in place by a pair of black hair sticks. The light dusting of make-up only helped to enhance her already pretty features. Her beauty was enhanced even further by the simple blue kimono she adorned for the event. Lloyd discretely palmed Ayame's hand, which caused her to look up at him with those big brown eyes. Her lips curved into a small smile as her hand gripped his in return. Lloyd's smile grew.

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His light blue eyes remained trained as he observed the festival. When he had heard the Traitor knew where the alpha was, he and his brother made their way to Konoha as fast as possible. Fortunately and unfortunately, the smells and sounds of the festival helped to mask their presence. That, and the alpha had let his guard down. Though given the circumstances the alpha's state of mind was understandable. But that didn't make their jobs any easier.

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To say the atmosphere between Hinata and Naruto was awkward would be the understatement of the day. Though he didn't really want to go to the festival, Naruto found that he couldn't just flat-out refuse Hinata's request.

_She probably just didn't want to go alone..._Naruto mused. Since he really hadn't been to a festival before, he had to quickly rush to a shop for a yukata. Naturally, he had picked an orange yukata with black shoulders. Without his headband, Naruto's bangs partially obscured his sapphire eyes. And these sapphire eyes were now discreetly peering at the Hyuuga heiress strolling next to him. Her indigo hair, which normally fell to her shoulder blades, was done up in an elaborate hairstyle, decorated with several lavender ribbons. Her formal kimono depicted a beautiful pattern of windswept cherry blossoms on a violet background. Her appearance was so stunning that Naruto was speechless when he first laid eyes on her back when he had picked her up.

And now they were strolling side by side, both unable to speak. Hinata was too shy, and Naruto had never really been in this situation before. No wait...a small smile formed on Naruto's face as he laced the fingers of his right hand with her left hand. He could feel her stiffen at the contact, but soon she returned his grip. After that the tension between them began to dissipate. They walked over to the main square of the festival. The area, which was normally a simple intersection, was adorned with several lanterns, and stands lined the side of the road. He looked around for a moment, deciding where to go when he heard a shout.

"Naruto and Hinata are holding hands!!!"

The couple froze as they felt the gaze of everyone in the square whipping to them. Naruto felt his anger rise, thinking they were judging Hinata for being with the container of the Kyuubi. As soon as he was about to give them a piece of his mind, the crowd burst out into thunderous applause and cheering. Several shouts echoed throughout the noise.

"About time!"

"Finally!"

"Way to go girl!"

"Atta boy!"

Both teens were red as a tomato.

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"Kiss her you moron!"

"Sakura...don't tease them."

"What! C'mon, Sasuke-kun, she totally deserves it after all that."

Sasuke smirked at his girlfriend's attitude. Though honestly his sentiments were similar. It was about time the dobe saw what was right in front of his face. His thoughts were interrupted by several crashing sounds, as maniacal laughter echoed through the streets.

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As soon as he heard that laughter, Lloyd froze in place. No NO NOOO! How did that bastard find him?! He was so sure to hide his presence and keep his identity a secret while on missions. Now he and Dae were in danger. He started dragging Ayame away from the laughter when a rough, powerful voice boomed out in Western.

"(Come on out runt!)" Lloyd ignored him, "(We know you're here!)" Lloyd ignored him,"(Come out or we'll rip little Dae apart piece by piece)."

Lloyd stopped. He looked at Ayame apologetically. She nodded in understanding. And he disappeared in an explosion of dust caused by the force of his leap. Lloyd let the nature energy flow into him as he surged across the rooftops. He quickly pulled off the top of his yukata, letting it drape behind him. He felt the familiar sensation of fur growing, and his muscles suddenly filled with strength. Moments later, Lloyd landed with a ground shaking impact. He would protect his sister. He would protect everyone. He slowly stood from a crouching position as the dust from the impact gently floated to the ground. Time to settle this he thought as his blue eyes pierced right into the man that had ruined his life.

"(Hey runt!)"

"(Caine...)" Lloyd growled.

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Dae looked up with a steady gaze at the two monsters before her. The wolf-men eyed her like a piece of meat, and it took little thought to guess what they were thinking. She forced herself to maintain that impassive mask. Her loathing was disrupted by the whimpering of a couple of waitress behind her. Dae took a deep breath, and slowly clenched and unclenched her hands. And with lightning speed she whipped her hands behind her apron, and twin bangs ring throughout the restaurant. The two monsters drop to the wooden floor. Dae stared down the smoking barrels of her flintlock pistols, which previously held a pair of silver balls. She lowered the weapons and looked at the corpses dispassionately. She then turned to the other girls and told them to hide in the basement.

**"Hidden Snake Technique!"**

**"Lightning Blade!"**

Dae whirled around to see another wolf-man, his wrists and ankles held by large pythons. A hand cloaked in electricity protruded from the beast's chest. The snakes opened their jaws, letting the body fall to the floor revealing a couple. The electricity faded from the man's hand, and the snakes slithered back to the sleeves of the woman's kimono. Dae's eyes widened in recognition.

"Is everyone alright?," Kakashi asked in his usual jovial tone, his face covered by the usual mask with his scarred left eye closed.

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A/N-The festival is under attack, and new players are entering the field. Please review!


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Hinata let slip a war cry as she thrust a blade of chakra through a wolf-man's neck. She was frustrated beyond measure at her evening with Naruto-kun being disrupted by these thugs. As the dead monster dropped, she twirled about-face, staring down two more snarling creatures. She slid into her Jyuuken stance.

**"Rasengan!"**

The wolf-mens' eyes widened in shock as they were both blown forward, past Hinata, and into a heap with their fallen comrade. In their places stood two of Naruto-kun's clones, palms thrust forward. Hinata smiled and nodded, thankful for Naruto-kun's assistance. Several crashing sounds rang through the night sky. Sharing a look, Hinata and Naruto's clones launched themselves across the rooftops towards the source. While in the air, a large plume of debris erupted into the sky in the main festival square.

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Lloyd coughed as he picked himself up off the ground. He felt the familiar tugging sensation, indicating his wounds were healing. But it wouldn't be enough. Dirt and blood caked the brown fur of his hybrid form, but his eyes still glowed blue. Across from him, Caine stood practically unharmed. The traitor's jet black fur gleamed in the glow of the lanterns, his golden eyes shining. Lloyd knew he couldn't win this fight. Not as long as Caine had Dae. Plus Caine was an alpha now. And an alpha's power was dependent on his subordinates. Caine had brought at least a hundred men. Lloyd was alone. Alone and being beaten like an unwanted stepchild. Caine began stalking towards Lloyd's battered form, his razor sharp teeth twisted into an evil smile.

Caine lunged.

Lloyd closed his eyes.

And a thunderous crack rang through the clearing.

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"Silver?"

"Yes," Dae answered while reloading her pistols, "Silver contains properties which disrupt the flow of nature energy in a werewolf's body. That in turn retards their abilities."

"In other words," Anko interjected, "Werewolves can't heal injuries inflicted by silver weapons."

"Exactly. And wearing excessive amounts of silver actually prevents them from transforming."

"Interesting," Kakashi stated, rubbing his masked chin, then looked at Dae,"You wouldn't happen to..."

Dae answered by tossing a set of silver-laced kunai from the restaurant closet to Anko and Kakashi. The older shinobi quickly armed themselves and, with Dae in tow, headed for the central area of the festival. Three werewolves leaped from the rooftops, blocking their passage. Before Kakashi and Anko could react, a large mass with glowing blue eyes descended upon the enemy. In a moment, the three wolf-men lay in the street, their heads contorted at unnatural angles. The big man walked into the light, revealing a muscular frame well over six and a half-feet tall. His dark blue hair was pointed upwards in two tufts, giving the appearance of ears. He spoke Western in a rich baritone.

"(Lady Dae, are you unharmed?)"

Dae's eyes lit up and she squealed in joy, running up to the big man. The big man gently smiled as he pulled the girl into a fierce yet friendly hug.

"(Talon!)"

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When the finishing blow didn't come, Lloyd opened his eyes. Caine was on the other end of the clearing, picking himself up off the ground. In front of him stood an Irishman at least seven feet tall, with bright orange hair covering his head. The man glanced back at Lloyd, a single blue eye examining him. Lloyd's eyes widened.

"(Angus...)"

"(Thought you were tougher than this, Lloyd m'boy.)," rang out Angus' Irish brogue.

"(But I thought you were...)"

"(You think a bunch a runts can take me down so easy.)"

"(Sorry...)"

"(Nuthin' to apologize about,)" said Angus as he pulled Lloyd to his feet, "(Talon is with Dae, so you don't have to worry about her. Now, let's take down this monster once and for all.)"

Lloyd nodded as felt his wounds healing faster. Knowing Angus and Talon were still alive awakened his alpha abilities. He could feel Talon's and Angus' senses and thought flooding into his mind. he could feel that Dae was safe. Lloyd sighed in relief. His eyes turned to steel when they gazed upon Caine.

Now he could cut loose.

Lloyd maintained eye contact with Caine as he began to run through a few handsigns. The claws on his hands suddenly danced with electricity, arcs of energy flying about.

**"Raiton: Double Lightning Claws!"**

Lloyd smiled at the fear that danced in Caine's eyes. He knew Caine had no experience fighting shinobi, and was unfamiliar with their abilities. Lloyd tensed for a moment, then vanished. He reappeared behind Caine, lightning still on his claws. Then Caine's chest spurted a fountain of blood originating from two wounds crossing his chest. Lloyd then reappeared next to a shocked Angus.

"(And so falls the monster...)" Lloyd uttered.

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Ayame couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She had to watch Lloyd fight. She was worried. But when she arrived, she witnessed a big wolf-man slam a smaller wolf-man into a stand. She watched as a big man with red hair saved the smaller one. And that's when the smaller werewolf used Lloyd's jutsu. But that wasn't what scared her.

She just saw a man she may love literally rip someone to shreds. Sure the monster had threatened his little sister. And Lloyd was a shinobi. But to think of Lloyd as a vicious killer was something Ayame didn't want to do. She watched him transform back into his human form. He seemed to sniff the air, and he looked right at her. She jumped, forgetting about Lloyd-kun's sense of smell. He looked...sad. The older, bigger Westerner turned his gaze towards her as well. Lloyd clenched his eyes shut and launched himself into the air and seemed to vanish.

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Angus sighed. Young people. He stole another look at the lass. Cute girl. Scared stiff though. Probably not aware of Lloyd's abilities. And probably unable to speak Western. She seemed to snap out of her fright, and started yelling his name. She began to run towards the direction which the alpha took off. He sighed again, and began rummaging through his mind for any Eastern he knew.

"(Excuse me?)"

Thank God! Angus turned to see a man in his late twenties with silver hair and a mask covering the bottom half of his face.

"(Yes?)" Angus replied.

"(I'm assuming you're on our side.)"

"(I'm on Lloyd's side.)"

"(Glad to hear that. Mind explaining what's going on here,)" Angus sighed at the question. Lloyd's feelings would have to wait.

"(Those men came here for Lloyd. Lloyd is the alpha of my pack, and we asked your Hokage to take him here when he was a boy. Caine, the one Lloyd just shredded, killed his and Dae's parents over some old feud. Lloyd's father, Wayne, transferred his alpha power to his son. It was the only way we could think of protecting him.)"

"(That makes sense. So Caine found him...)"

"(And came here in order to finish what he started.)"

"(Exactly.)"

"Sir!"

One of their warriors in a porcelain mask dropped in a crouch facing the masked man.

"Report!," The masked man ordered.

"The enemy is retreating into the woods! We have suffered no casualties and eliminated over fifty percent of their forces!"

"Good work. You may leave," At that the reporter vanished in a puff of smoke.

"(What is it?)," Asked Angus.

"(The enemy is retreating.)"

"(Of course they are. Their alpha is dead. Without an alpha, lycans become significantly weakened. The power of an alpha depends on his pack, and vice-versa. The stronger the alpha, the stronger the pack. The bigger the pack, the stronger the alpha.)"

"(I see. Where is Lloyd now?)," Angus leaned his head to the side for a second.

"(North-North-West. About a quarter of a mile from here.)," the masked commander looked up in contemplation.

"(That's his apartment.)"

"(I'll go there and keep watch.)

"(Right. And tomorrow we can sort this whole thing out)," With a nod of respect, Angus dashed off towards the apartment.

Things would look better in the morning.

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A/N-The fight is over, and new friends have arrived. Please review!


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Ayame quickly ran in the direction the burly Westerner had bounded off to. Ayame had learned the Western tongue in her spare time. She thought that Lloyd-kun would appreciate her interest in his culture. She knew she loved Lloyd-kun when he distracted that mob chasing Naruto-kun thirteen years ago. But none of that mattered at the moment. She just had to talk to Lloyd-kun. She had to tell him that she was just shocked by his..._ferocity_. She knew Lloyd-kun was a shinobi and that shinobi were simply killing machines. But that didn't make it any easier to associate the smiling, kind Lloyd with the wolf-man that ripped out another werewolf's chest cavity. As she ran her hair came undone, but she didn't care about that. She just wanted to tell him that she didn't care about the fact that he was a werewolf or whatever. She slowed to a stop in front of one of the many apartment complexes in the Southern part of the city. This one was unique in the fact that a seven and a half foot Westerner crouching on the roof. Said figure leaned over the edge of the building, flipped, and landed heavily in a crouch in front of her. He then stood, a tower of muscles topped with gleaming blue eyes. Ayame wasted no time.

"(I need to see Lloyd)," the monster of a man seemed taken aback. But he regained his composure so fast she wasn't sure.

"(What for?)"

"(I need to show him I'm not afraid. To show him I don't care about all that werewolf stuff)," the big man's blue eyes calmed slightly, and she saw them move in what she guessed was a nod.

"(Third floor. Room ten)," Ayame nodded in thanks, and quickly dashed passed him through the entrance of the building.

She barely heard the Westerner mutter something about 'young people'.

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Lloyd almost didn't respond when he heard a knock on his door. But it sounded urgent. After the fight with Caine he hadn't changed his outfit. He didn't feel like it. He didn't feel like doing anything at the moment. The fear in Ayame's eyes had pretty much sapped any motivation he had. But this could be important. So he picked himself up of the couch and answered the door.

And there she was.

Before him stood Ayame, gasping for breath. Her hair was disheveled, her make-up smeared from sweating and crying. Her kimono was loosening, the garment not meant for running in. And her big coffee eyes looked at him with a disturbing intensity. The smell of her sweat and the spices of the festival mixed with her perfume overpowered his senses.

Lloyd had never seen anything more beautiful.

He was so ensnared by her he almost didn't hear her speak.

"Lloyd-kun! I'm sorry! I was just shocked! I didn't mean to-," Lloyd quickly pulled her through the door jam before she could finish, and quickly closed the door behind her. Ayame was stunned for a moment, but quickly continued her frantic apologies, "I don't care about all that werewolf stuff! I don't care because I think I love you!"

Lloyd stood stock still for what seemed like an eternity, and before she could say anything else Lloyd's lips captured hers in a powerful kiss. She quickly and eagerly returned it, grabbing the remains of his yukata in an attempt to get closer to him.

Ayame did not go home that night.

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Shikamaru sighed. This was so aggravating. Temari had a really bad habit of kill first, kill some more, and never ask any questions. At least he had managed to capture one of them before the winds of Temari's battle fan sliced the poor sap to ribbons. The whimpering Westerner looked at him with fear, paralyzed by Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu. Next to the shadow wielder stood Temari in all her violent glory. Her kimono had loosened during the fighting, her already wild sandy hair made wilder from the powerful winds she brought against her enemies. She was leaning on her four foot long fan, looking extremely dangerous. She was huffing from excessive use of chakra and her blue-green eyes practically shined from the thrill of the fight. Shikamaru knew she would be wanting to work off that extra adrenaline after they turned in their prisoner.

Not that Shikamaru was complaining or anything.

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Sasuke disengaged his jutsu, the sword of electricity fading into nothingness. The fight was over. He kept his Sharingan active as he surveyed his handy work. Several severely stunned werewolves were strewn about, many of which had electrical burns. Sasuke disliked killing. At least the killing of those he knew nothing about. Thinking about that brought one of his darker memories to the surface. Him and Naruto. A giant valley with a waterfall. Sasuke clenched his eyes shut. The fight between him and Naruto those three years ago was too painful to remember. Back then he had only been obsessed with obtaining the power to kill his brother. And he had nearly killed his best friend in the process.

"Sasuke-kun. Are you alright?," Sasuke looked at his pink-haired girlfriend, who had one of the big monsters slung over her shoulder. Sakura. When he left the village, she was nothing more than a weak, whiny fan-girl with a big brain. How did she get so strong in three short years? Her physical strength he knew came from her apprenticeship with the Hokage, Tsunade. She had also obtained her medical skills from the village leader. But she also became stronger in another way. She didn't cling to him or constantly make advances on him like before. Sure she was affectionate, but not overbearing like she used to be. She was independent. A part of him admitted that he missed that old Sakura. But he loved this new Sakura even better.

"I'm fine."

"You didn't kill them did you?," she asked, less concerned for the attackers lives than wasting valuable sources of information. Sasuke simply grunted in response. Sakura sighed in aggravation as she checked over the wolf-men he had incapacitated. As she kneeled, Sasuke couldn't help but peer at her attractive physique. That was another thing he found that he loved about her. She was in excellent shape. He quickly banished those thoughts for another time and place. He didn't react when several Black Ops entered the scene and quickly removed the monsters. It was likely that the Black Ops were performing a massive clean-up of the battle. Sasuke frowned slightly. Tsunade had actually offered him a position in the ANBU when his parole was over, but Sasuke declined. The work was intense and never ending, leaving no time for personal matters.

Like Sakura.

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Tsunade looked over the village from the windows in her office. The plan had worked. The Westerners made the assumption that a festival meant the village would be caught off guard. She smirked. Shinobis were _never_ caught off guard. Shino and Lee's information about the Westerner's attack gave her enough time to prepare the decorations and what not. Plus she was sure that Lloyd would have an advantage over the enemy's leader due to his shinobi training. But the fight was over now. She turned and left her office, turning in the twisting hallways of the Hokage mansion. She stopped in front of a pair of locked double doors. Tsunade placed her hand on the door, remembering the previous and only occupants. After a moment Tsunade regained her composure and started marching down the halls again. The Black Ops should have all the bodies and prisoners gathered up by now. Time to gather information.

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A/N-The aftermath of the battle, and who lived behind the double doors? Please review.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Lloyd walked into the Hokage's office with a spring in his step. Last night was probably one of the best nights of his life. Not only was one of the greatest threats to his sister and him gone, but he had been reunited with a couple members of his pack. Well, and the time with Ayame was something to celebrate as well. Before he could remember any details, a weird scent hit his nostrils. In his time he had almost memorized almost every scent of every villager. But this one was different and slightly...familiar. He saw the Hokage looking over an old personnel file with a saddened expression. Lloyd decided not to interrupt. After a moment, Tsunade looked up and nearly jumped in surprise. But she quickly collected herself while setting aside the file.

"Sorry," Lloyd apologized. Tsunade simply shook her head.

"It's fine."

"If I may...," Tsunade gave him a look that told him to continue, "whose file was that?"

"Oh this?," she said, eyes shifting to the file in question, "Just...an old friend." Lloyd could see that Tsunade needed to talk about this. Despite her public image, the 'Iron Maiden' was all too human.

"You miss him." It wasn't a question.

"Her. And yes, I do," the Hokage sighed, and for a moment she actually looked over fifty, "Just another friend who died too young. But she was...special in so many ways."

"How so?," LLoyd probed cautiously. Tsunade leaned her head on her hand, her amber gaze meeting nothing in particular.

"She died after giving birth to a beautiful baby boy. The child's father was already dead, and the baby became an anonymous orphan. In her child is possibly one of the most powerful kekkai genkais I've ever seen," Kekkai genkais. A genetic quirk which used chakra in a unique way. Lloyd supposed his werewolf powers could count as a kekkai genkai. But Konoha only had two notable kekkai genkais: the Byakugan and the Sharingan. If another great power like those famous eyes existed, then Konoha would be unstoppable.

"What if I helped to find the child?," Tsunade shook her head, a sad and tight smile on her face.

"Oh we know who he is," Lloyd looked stunned, "Because we sealed the Nine-tailed fox in him." Lloyd's jaw dropped as a picture of a cheery blonde shinobi entered his mind.

"Naruto..."

"Exactly," Tsunade continued, "Naruto possesses his mother's kekkai genkai that allowed for rapid cell regeneration. In other words..."

"...a healing factor. But I thought the Kyuubi was the source of Naruto's healing abilities," Tsunade's grin widened.

"The demon's presence actually stunts the healing. Without that damned fox in him Naruto would never need medical attention. The healing factor is constantly healing his chakra network, allowing it to adapt to the demon's chakra. To anyone else, the red chakra is like a poison," Lloyd sat, stunned by receiving several mind-blowing revelations at once. But then a thought occurred to him.

"Then how did the mother die?"

"Blood loss. Why?"

"Well, if what you said is true, wouldn't the mother have been able to survive something like that," After that statement Tsunade's eyes widened. Lloyd could practically hear the gears in her head turning. She then met his gaze.

"You're right, Lloyd. There's no way in hell something like that could kill her," her gaze then turned towards the door as her eyes narrowed. Lloyd almost shivered as the Hokage's killing intent flooded her office. Her voice was like ice when she spoke again, "I smell foul play."

"Well, my nose is better than yours is, Hokage-sama. Allow me to assist," Tsunade's bloodlust subsided as she looked at Lloyd.

"Better yet, you're in charge of the investigation," she gestured towards the file, "Take this," she quickly scribbled something on a black scroll and handed it to Lloyd, "and that will give you unlimited access to the hospital's archives. Your mission: find out what happened to Uzumaki Kushina on the night of the Kyuubi's attack on the village. This is an S-ranked mission. Tell no one the details, but feel free to recruit those who you think might be helpful," with both documents in hand Lloyd bowed to his leader and left the office. The business he wanted to discuss with her could wait. This mission was something Lloyd wanted to do first. Lloyd opened the personnel file, finding the picture of a beautiful redhead with long hair staring back at him with mischievous blue eyes. Eyes...Lloyd smiled.

He knew where to go first.

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Itachi lounged silently in his cell at protective custody. Ever since that emotional first meeting, Sasuke had visited often. He even brought his girlfriend once. He liked Sakura. Especially for Sasuke. The girl was also Tsunade-sama's apprentice. That improved her standing with him even more. She was even on the team of medics that cured him of his tuberculosis and restored his eyesight. Now Itachi didn't need the Sharingan just to function day-to-day. He looked up as his cell door opened, revealing an old friend with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Lloyd," Itachi greeted.

"Itachi," Lloyd responded, then got to business, "I got an S-rank mission from Tsunade. You in?," Itachi closed his eyes and smirked. As he answered, Itachi opened his eyes to reveal crimson pupils.

"At your service," Itachi got to his feet and fell in step beside Lloyd as they left the detention center, "So what's the mission."

"The specifics are hush-hush, but were looking into the death of this woman," Lloyd handed him a picture of a woman in her mid-twenties with bright red hair.

"I recognize her," Lloyd looked towards him, obviously listening, "When I was about five or so, I was walking with my father down Konoha's main street. I saw her and another man with blonde hair eating at Ichiraku ramen."

"Okay, I'll go to Ichiraku," Lloyd said, taking back the picture. Lloyd then handed Itachi a scroll with the Hokage's seal, "That will get you unlimited access to the hospital's archives. You're looking for Uzumaki Kushina," Itachi eyes widened a fraction.

"Uzumaki as in..."

"She's Naruto's mother," Itachi almost stumbled at hearing that. But instead his crimson Sharingan eyes almost began to glow in determination.

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To say Pein was beginning to get irritated would be far from accurate. Royally pissed seemed more appropriate. Not that he'd show his rage. Not in front of his master. But he did have some questions to ask.

"Why can I not attack Konoha?," the man in the orange mask turned his gaze to Pein. The orange mask had a swirl pattern that centered on the man's left eye. The man wore a cloak with a hood, and some older looking shinobi battle armor. Of all the people he had met, his master was one of the few that he truly feared. The master spoke in a rich and powerful baritone.

"Because Pein, Konoha has never been stronger than it is now. Not only do they have both the Uchiha brothers, but Jiraiya has not left Konoha since your fight. Plus I've been getting reports that Tsunade has a few werewolves serving her village as well. Including the one that stole one of your bodies right out from underneath your nose," even an idiot could see the mocking in the master's voice, and that tone infuriated Pein to no end. But the master was right. Tsunade has too many aces up her sleeve to make any effective assault on the village. So for now, Pein decided to play the waiting game.

Naruto had to leave Konoha sometime.

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A/N-Lloyd and Itachi are investigating Kushina's death, and Pein's plans have been thwarted. Please review!


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Itachi plopped on the floor in aggravation and leaned back on a filing cabinet. The files were gone. There was a disturbance right were her files should be. Someone must have taken them. That alone was cause for suspicion. The fact that it was Naruto's mother took this to the level of conspiracy. Itachi's mind began to wonder with many possibilities of who could have taken the files. And one name kept popping into his head. But if that insufferable monster was involved, things could get nasty with the counsel. Then he remembered that most of the elder council was banished for forcing him to slaughter the Uchiha clan. Itachi smirked. Without his allies in Konoha's government, the old bastard had little defense or support politically. Plus Tsunade-sama had it out for the bastard. He picked himself up, deciding to report his findings to Lloyd.

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"Here you go, you two," Naruto smiled as Ayame set their orders in front of them. He shifted his gaze over to Hinata as she began to eat her ramen. Before the werewolves crashed the festival, Naruto was sure he heard Sakura yelling at him. She had said something along the lines of 'kiss her'. The thought of kissing Hinata had crossed his mind several times recently. He even found himself wondering what Hinata's lips would feel like on his.

"Hinata...," Hinata turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Yes, Naruto-ku-," Naruto interrupted her with a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. Naruto studied Hinata for a reaction. She looked frozen for a second, then her face flushed magenta and she began to sway, but quickly collected herself. She looked at him with those big lavender eyes. The Byakugan was one of Konoha's claim to power. They granted the user a 360-degree field of vision, but the ability to see through solid objects as well. Being under a Hyuuga's gaze was absolutely terrifying. Hinata's eyes though were softer then the rest of her family's. Looking at her shocked face, Naruto was sure he just screwed up. He mumbled an apology as he got up to leave, but felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Hinata's small hand gripping his sleeve like a vice. She looked up at him.

"Let's go somewhere more private," she said. He nodded, and they both left the stand.

Hinata didn't let go of him for a moment.

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After seeing Naruto leave with Hinata, Lloyd ducked under the curtains into the open-air Ichiraku Ramen. He immediately noticed Ayame behind the counter. Any other time he would be pleased to see her, but this was business. And it wasn't with Ayame.

"Hey Ayame. Teuchi, could I speak with you for a second. Alone," Ayame looked confused, but after assurances from her father she went to the back of the store. Lloyd pulled out the picture of Kushina and showed it to the older man.

"That's Kushina," the older man said, "she died in childbirth."

"Do you know who her child is?," Teuchi expression turned to a mixture of mirth and pain as he answered.

"You think I wouldn't know Kushina's son when I saw him," Lloyd let the man continue, knowing his hunch was paying off, "He has her smile, you know. Her eyes, too. But everything else about him he got from this father," Naruto's father. Knowing his identity would help this case immensely.

"You know who his father is," it wasn't a question. Teuchi nodded solemnly.

"I can't tell you directly, but I can give you a clue," Lloyd brought his full focus on the man, not wanting to forget anything, "'Look to the past, and the Will of Fire will guide you.'."

"That's not much."

"That's all I can give you, Lloyd. Naruto's heritage is a SSS-class secret. And if Ayame didn't love you so much I wouldn't have even given you that," Lloyd looked a little taken aback.

"How did you...?," Teuchi just smiled knowingly.

"I'm an old man who knows my daughter. Plus she was walking a little funny when she came in this morning," Lloyd had the decency to look sheepish.

"Sorry..."

"Don't be. I've never seen her so happy. Well, you must be busy. Good luck with your investigation," Lloyd nodded in thanks, leaving the bar area. Lloyd scratched the back of his neck as he thought about what Teuchi told him. Naruto's heritage was one of the most guarded secrets in the village, if the older man was to be believed. The Will of Fire was the spiritual creed that shinobi from Konoha lived by. Passion. Strength. Camaraderie. Looking to the past indicated...Lloyd craned his head to look at the Hokage Mountain. The mountain was more of a cliff face, but it was still Konoha's major landmark. On it were carved the faces of all the Hokages, past and present. Lloyd gazed at the five stony faces which kept watch over both Konoha and its inhabitants. The silent guardians of the Will of Fire. The first, the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Shirahama, founded Konoha and with his Mokuton jutsu created the forest which kept it safe. His brother, the Nidaime Hokage, took charge after Shirahama was killed. When he locked gazes with the third face, Lloyd couldn't help but smile. The Sandaime, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The old man that brought him here. The Hokage with the longest career. He died an old man, killed by his traitorous apprentice Orochimaru three years ago. Then the fourth solemn face. The Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. The Hokage with the shortest reign. He died young sealing the Nine-tailed fox within Naruto. Before he moved on to Tsunade's face, Lloyd remembered a color picture he saw of the Yondaime in one of his textbooks at the academy. The stern yet benevolent expression. The steel-blue eyes. The spiky...blonde...hair...Lloyd's mind reached the logical conclusion, and realization hit him like a sledgehammer to the stomach.

"No way...," he whispered. He was so caught up in his discovery that he barely noticed Itachi landing next to him.

"What is it?," Lloyd turned to Itachi.

"I know the identity of the father," Lloyd said quietly, "Namikaze Minato," Itachi's eyes widened, which indicated extreme surprise. But the Uchiha quickly regained his composure.

"That would certainly explain a lot," Lloyd nodded.

"I think we need to talk to Tsunade-sama. This could be bigger than we thought, and she might have some answers," at Itachi's nod, the duo took off towards the Hokage tower.

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She should have seen this coming. Lloyd was smart, and getting Itachi involved was proof of that. Between them nothing would be missed. But Tsunade didn't expect the two of them coming into her office asking her questions about Naruto's father. It didn't surprise her that the two of them figured it out so quickly. But she wasn't emotionally prepared for the onslaught of questions. Questions which brought up old memories. But she had to know what happened with Kushina.

"Did Minato have any enemies?," she almost laughed at that.

"He was the Fourth Hokage. The man who single-handedly won the war with Iwakagure. That entire village would love to see his loved ones dead," Lloyd looked down in contemplation. Itachi interrupted.

"Maybe were not looking for someone foreign," both she and Lloyd looked at the Uchiha, "I've had this notion in my mind that can't seem to get rid off."

"What notion?," Lloyd asked.

"Danzo," Tsunade saw red, smashing her desk to splinters with a single blow. She glared up at the two young men, who seemed to be breathing heavily. Tsunade realized that she was bringing out her full killing intent on the men in front of her. She calmed herself, regaining her composure. She then realized what this could mean.

"If you guys find any evidence of Danzo's involvement in Kushina's death, we can bring him down for good. He's the last great enemy to Konoha's peaceful philosophies. Without him, we can pretty much assure peace for Konoha and it's people. Plus that old fossil is a right bastard. But getting him won't be easy, especially with ROOT at his command," Lloyd and Itachi's expressions set into determined lines. Itachi's Sharingan activated and Lloyd's frost blue eyes began to glow. Tsunade almost felt guilty at how easy it was to manipulate the two young men. She knew of Itachi's loathing for Danzo, the old bastard being the one who came up with the plan to massacre the Uchihas. And Danzo had tried to kidnap Lloyd to indoctrinate him into ROOT on several occasions, "Dismissed."

As soon as the two young men left, Tsunade slumped in her chair.

"You sure this will work, Tsunade?," the Hokage didn't even bother to look at Jiraiya as he entered her office through the window.

"Those two are the best to handle it."

"ROOT shouldn't be taken so lightly, Tsunade."

"Two of our most powerful and smartest shinobi versus a few soulless puppets and a crippled old man," Tsunade turned to Jiraiya, the steel in her voice unmistakable, "Danzo doesn't stand a chance."

"It's not that, Tsunade," Jiriaya crossed his arms as he spoke, "Both those kids have weaknesses."

"Sasuke can handle himself, and Lloyd's sister is under the protection of those massive werewolves that showed up last night," Jiraiya smirked.

"My mistake, then," Tsunade smiled as she called in for a new desk.

Danzo was going down.

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A/N-The pieces of the puzzle are coming together. What will Lloyd and Itachi discover? Please review!


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Kaoru put on the mask of an Iwakagure Black Ops. The mask of the man whose appearance he just copied. He left the closet and swiftly made his way to the Tsuchikage's audience chamber. The guard he was impersonating was one of the Tsuchikage's elite guard, and one of the few men the despicable old man trusted. Kaoru couldn't help the vicious smile on his face.

This was going to be easy.

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Lloyd sniffed the musty air. Questioning Tsunade led to several answers. Including where Kushina's body was buried. Right next to her husband. The interior of the Fourth Hokage's shrine was elaborate, decorated with several idols and spiritual items meant to ease the passage of the soul to heaven. Also there in the tomb were flowers and gifts from the villagers, as well as many pictures of him in the stages in his life. It was a wonder no one made the connection that Naruto was the son of the village's greatest hero. But keeping the villagers from finding out was probably what saved Naruto's life from the Fourth's many enemies. Lloyd set those thoughts aside as he mentally analyzed the scent in the air. He immediately deleted all the non-human scents, removing Itachi's scent from the equation as well. Then he singled out the only scent of a decomposing female.

"The decomp has compromised the scent," Itachi closed his eyes as he leaned on the wall nearby.

"Then it's useless," Lloyd smiled knowingly.

"Not to an alpha werewolf. Now that my alpha abilities have been awakened, I can reconstruct the scent mentally, then compare it to the scent from Kushina's personnel file."

"Why would we need to?," Lloyd shrugged.

"Following a hunch," he remained silent as he began to concentrate for a while. First he removed the smell of decomposition. Then the preservatives, followed by the flowers she was buried with. He opened his eyes and looked straight ahead.

"It's not her."

"What?," Itachi asked.

"That's. Not. Kushina! It isn't her!," Itachi pushed himself off the wall.

"Are you sure?," Lloyd answered with a look that seemed to say 'duh', "This makes things interesting. If Kushina wasn't buried here, then where's her body buried?"

"What if she was never buried?," Silence pervaded the room after Lloyd's remark. The question hung on both their minds as they considered the possibility, "What if she never died?"

"Then that would turn this investigation into a search and rescue mission."

"We must report our findings at once," Itachi and Lloyd both tore out of the shrine and launched themselves over the rooftops at high speeds. As they bounded across the village, Lloyd perked up a bit, "We're being followed."

"ROOT," Lloyd bit off a curse. ROOT was Danzo's private shinobi organization. ROOT members had the emotions literally beat out of them by an early age, leaving soulless killing machines.

"Lead them to the condemned districts. We can cut loose there," Itachi nodded, and they both veered towards the Southern quarter of Konoha. Konoha is a thriving city of over 200,000 people, sprawled over ten square miles. The city is divided into four quarters,oriented to match the cardinal directions on a compass. Northern Konoha was the government district, with several administrative offices. The Eastern and Western quarters were both civilian and business districts, containing mostly housing. The Eastern district also housed Konoha's military facilities, while the Western district served as Konoha's shopping district. The Southern quarter was originally the main military district with housing for shinobi and research facilities. But in the time of peace, such facilities were no longer necessary. As such, most of the district was condemned to demolition, to be replaced with expanded housing and public works. But budget problems and the council's hardheadedness had delayed the construction. As a result several shinobi trained there, and during invasions the defenders herded the enemy towards the area to minimize damage to the occupied area of the city.

Lloyd and Itachi landed without a sound and dashed down the street at high speeds. The aged grey buildings, out of use for over twenty years served to create an eerie backdrop for the fight to come. Lloyd quickly transformed, glad that his alpha powers sped up the process. He looked to Itachi, and with a mutual nod they split up.

Lloyd ran down one main streets of the district. He spared a glance over his shoulder, spotting his pursuers. Two cloaked figures with white masks stalked after him, moving like wraiths. He saw them lunge, blades extended. Lloyd jumped and twisted to face them in mid-air, electricity dancing on his claws.

The area echoed with the sound of the resulting impact.

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When he felt the slight warmth on his wrist, Danzo's mouth twisted into a cruel smile. The interlopers had been taken care of, and Tsunade would drop the investigation for fear of losing more of her prized 'shinobi'. Peh. As if those weak, empathetic people could be called true shinobi. He sat up from his desk, grabbing his cane for support. It was times like these that he missed his leg and arm. But it mattered little. Time to go gloat to Tsunade, then maybe an afternoon tea. Before he left, his remaining eye glanced towards his shelf. So much trouble for that. He then strolled out of his office, leaving the secret ROOT headquarters.

As Danzo walked through the dusty streets of Konoha, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the citizenry. They thought they were safe in this era of peace. Peace was an illusion, a time to catch your enemies unawares. The only way to truly ensure peace was through war. Kill your enemies before they kill you. Then claim what they held as your own. That was the true path to Konoha's safety. If not for his injuries, he knew he would have become the Third Hokage instead of that soft Sarutobi.

He let his thoughts vanish as he approached the door to Tsunade's office. He barged in without even knocking. Tsunade was one of Sarutobi's apprentices, therefore she was weak like him and undeserving of any real respect. Tsunade sat her desk, and standing behind her were two of her men. They were standing at ease, hands behind their backs. The werewolf and Uchiha...

"You look surprised, Danzo," he whipped his eye to the Hokage, not liking her confident expression.

"Why would you say that?," the werewolf stepped forward. Danzo remembered the boy. He had such potential, but he was enrolled into the academy before he could snatch the boy.

"You tried to have us killed. That's high treason," Danzo smirked.

"Prove it," at that, Itachi brought his hands forwards, and Danzo nearly lost it. A severed arm, the point were it had been removed was cauterized. On the wrist of the severed limb was the heat transfer seal his men used to signal that the mission was accomplished. Before he could react, Danzo found himself pinned to the ground, his remaining arm locked at the shoulder and his own heat transfer seal exposed. He had to admit, the werewolf was fast.

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Tsunade couldn't help the smile on her face. She had him. She got that bastard Danzo once and for all. When Lloyd and Itachi entered her office roughed up with that arm, she nearly danced on her desk. Now she had irrefutable evidence of Danzo's involvement in the attack on Itachi and Lloyd.

"Give him to Ibiki. I'm sure he's been looking forward to picking that brain," Danzo actually looked worried as Lloyd dragged him away. But one thing was for sure.

The greatest enemy of peace in Konoha was finally where he belonged.

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Naruto looked at Hinata as they walked hand in hand in Konoha's main park. After kissing her at Ichiraku, they left to the training ground where his interest in Hinata first materialized. The talk they were having quickly degenerated into a full-blown make-out session. During a breathing break, he had asked Hinata out officially. Now here they were on their official first date, strolling through the park holding hands. When Hinata noticed that he was looking at her, she smiled and squeezed his hand. He returned both gestures.

Naruto had never been so happy.

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A/N-Danzo has been taken into custody, but where is Kushina? Please review!


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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"Here's the location of the ROOT base, Tsunade-sama," Tsunade smirked as Yamanaka Inoichi marked Danzo's hidden compound on a map. Lloyd and Itachi stared at the map for a few seconds, obviously committing the location to memory.

"Very good Inoichi. That will be all," Inoichi bowed and took his leave. Tsunade turned to the two young men, "You two and another man will be conducting a preliminary attack on the base. Your objective is to locate Uzumaki Kushina and take down as many ROOT members as possible for the main raid force."

"What are the rules of engagement, Tsunade-sama?," Tsunade's eyes hardened at Lloyd's question.

"All ROOT agents are expendable."

"And what of the third man?," Itachi asked.

"That would be me," the men turned towards the direction of the voice and Tsunade leaned back in her chair. From the shadow in the corner of the office stepped a boy around Naruto's age. His obsidian hair and eyes contrasted his liquid-paper white skin. He wore a black half-shirt, with one long sleeve and one short sleeve, and a pair of long black pants and fingerless gloves. The boy's expression twisted into a really creepy fake smile.

"I am Sai. Pleased to meet you," Sai's voice dripped of fake pleasantry, but Tsunade knew that the boy felt nothing. He was a member of ROOT, and at one time Sasuke's replacement on Team 7. But Naruto's friendship helped Sai to break through Danzo's mental conditioning and switch his loyalties to her. Fortunately, Danzo still believed Sai to be under his thumb.

His mistake.

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Lloyd, Itachi, and Sai remained silent as they geared up. The three of them were all wearing Black Ops heavy assault outfits, customized for the wearer. Lloyd's stretched to accommodate his alternate form, and had extra pockets for scrolls and explosive tags. Itachi flicked his wrists, thirty centimeter blades springing out of the arm guard above his hand. Nodding in approval, Itachi whipped them back into place and strapped on his grieves, then tested the spring loaded blades in them as well. Sai's chest plate held pouches designed to hold the calligraphy supplies which were crucial of his fighting style. He went through the motions of taking them out over and over again. Itachi and Sai also had short ninjato strapped to their backs, while Lloyd carried a pack containing extra supplies.

The three of them marched out of the armory, passing the main ANBU raiding force. Over thirty men were standing at attention, their eyes following the trio behind their masks. The three marching shinobi gave off an air of power and respect. In front was Sai. His lack of any emotion sent chills down the spines of some, and downright frightened others. Next was Itachi. He was a legend and a prodigy, none in the room did not recognize the man who made ANBU captain at the age of thirteen. Lloyd brought up the rear, his aura wild and powerful. Many were intimidated by his reputation for ferocity, which was bolstered by the recent incident at the festival. The leaders of the raid stopped and faced the group, their gazes sweeping over the assembled forces.

"Alright," Lloyd barked, his voice ringing throughout the walled clearing, "We will depart for the enemy stronghold after this briefing. When we arrive, Itachi, Sai, and myself will enter first to soften the enemy forces, search for the main objective, and mark the points were the charges will be placed. Ten minutes after we breach, team Alpha will storm the base. You will play the role of sweeper team, wiping out any and all resistance. After the objective has been rescued, team Beta will plant the explosives. When all personnel have vacated the stronghold, the charges will be detonated. That is your mission. Any questions?," no one raised their hands. Lloyd nodded in approval, "Move out!"

The entire group flew to the air, leaving a cloud of dust in their wakes. The party was soon outside the village walls, following their leaders through the trees. Some did aerial acrobatics as they bounded along, including Lloyd. After two minutes of travel the strike force landed in a small clearing, a single boulder in the center. Sai stepped up to the rock and placed his palm on it. A moment later the rock shifted to the side with a scraping sound, revealing a seemingly bottomless pit. Lloyd and Itachi flanked Sai at the edge of the hole, peering down into the darkness. Lloyd shifted into his hybrid form while Itachi activated his Sharingan. Sai pulled out a scroll and began to draw mice in black ink. When he was done drawing the mice, Sai wrote 'Uzumaki Kushina' below his artwork. When he was finished, Sai made a single hand sign.

**"Ninja Art: Beast Animation,"** The mice leapt from the paper and scurried down the hole. Seeing the look he was receiving from Lloyd, Sai explained, "The mice will search for the person whose name is written on the scroll. They will report their findings back to me when they are done," Lloyd nodded, satisfied with the answer. The trio looked to each other, nodded, and leaned into a free-fall down the shaft. Itachi and Sai fell calmly while Lloyd twisted and flipped. The three landed noiselessly.

"Keep it quiet," Itachi and Sai nodded, and the trio swiftly stalked down the hall. The first pair of guards didn't even know what killed them. The next set met a similar fate, thanks to Itachi's blades. This process continued, the trio stealthily moving through the compound with Sai leading the way. After four minutes, Sai stopped in front of a rather regal looking door.

"This is Danzo's office," the pale boy moved aside as the older men began to search the door for traps. With a few hand seals Lloyd disabled the chakra locks, and with his Sharingan's superior vision Itachi was able to deactivate the explosive tags. With a twist of the knob, the office door swung open without a sound. Sai stayed outside while Itachi and Lloyd began to scour the office. Lloyd shrugged off his pack and opened it. The pair quickly scoured the office, placing important looking items into the pack. Itachi placed what appeared to be several journals and mission scrolls inside. Lloyd checked the shelves, and came across something.

"I've never seen a scroll like this," Itachi turned to see Lloyd inspecting a scroll about four feet wide and unusually thin, "Scrolls this size are usually summons contracts, but this is too thin," Lloyd opened the scroll, letting it drape before him. Lloyd made a sound of surprise.

"What is it?," Lloyd slowly turned the scroll to show Itachi its contents. Itachi's eyes widened in shock.

"Objective achieved."

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"Any last words?," Danzo looked up, trying to preserve some semblance of dignity in front of the new Konoha council. He looked them all in the eye from a kneeling position. Beside him stood a man dressed in black with a katana strapped to his waist.

"I did what I thought was best for Konoha," at that the man in black drew his sword, and Danzo bowed his head. With a shout, the executioner brought the katana down. Danzo's body slumped to the floor, his head landing in his lap. The council, including Tsunade, remained silent. Danzo would hurt no one anymore. Then a glowing seal suddenly appeared over Danzo's heart. Jiraiya paled.

"That's a-!"

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Suddenly the walls of the office were riddled with glowing seals.

"SHIT!," Lloyd growled as he leapt towards the door, Itachi right behind him with the pack. A steady stream of fire erupted from the seals, quickly incinerating everything inside...

Lloyd panted heavily as he gazed at the inferno, back against the opposite wall clutching the important scroll to his chest. Itachi looked at the now glowing room with wide eyes, but didn't seem overall stressed.

"What time is it?," Lloyd checked his watch.

"Noon."

"Danzo's execution."

"So those fire summoning seals must have been tied to Danzo's chakra signature, so when he died his secrets would go with him. I wonder what else-," an explosion went off in the distance and the stronghold shook violently.

"We should run now," Itachi and Lloyd decided to follow Sai's advice. The trio picked themselves up and began making a mad dash through the crumbling halls towards the exit. Soon chimes began to ring throughout the compound, and the three shinobi saw that their only path to the exit was blocked by a multitude of ROOT agents. Itachi took point and flashed through several hand signs.

**"Katon: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"**, Itachi spat a massive column of fire in the shape of a dragon slammed into the crowd, and soon the scent of burnt flesh and hair permeated the corridor. The survivors lunged at them, but their efforts were futile in the face of Itachi's blades and Lloyd's claws. The tunnel behind them began to collapse, and the falling rocks were gaining on them. They poured on the speed, the tunnel in sight. The trio threw themselves into the shaft just before the collapse caught them. The didn't move for a moment, laying still on the floor. The tension and anxiety in the air was stifling. After a minute nothing happened. And Lloyd began to laugh, holding the important scroll in the air. Itachi simply smirked, and poor Sai looked a little confused.

Thats when the explosives lining the shaft went off.

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A/N-Danzo's final gambit. Will they survive? Please review!


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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The leader of the Alpha team stared blankly at the now caved in tunnel. The entire strike force was stunned to silence. One of them snapped out of it, and frantically began throwing rubble aside. His example got others moving, and soon all of them were excavating the shaft. The ground shook again, but not a violently as before. It shook again. And again. Then a muffled voice cried out.

**"Raiton: Lighting Blitz!,"** the team jumped away as a massive bolt of electricity burst from the shaft, sending debris everywhere. As the dust settled, the team looked at the now gaping hole. A scorched, furry clawed hand grabbed the edge. Followed by a matching hand clutching an unusual scroll. The Alpha leader reached down and grabbed the back of Lloyd's cloak. The others joined in, and Lloyd was dragged out of the hole. Next was Itachi, who had a hold of Lloyd's belt. He held an unconscious Sai around the waist with his other arm. Soon all three of them were laying on the ground being evaluated by the medic-nin.

"Alpha and Beta leaders," the masked men turned to Lloyd.

"Yes sir?," they answered in unison.

"Take this to Jiraiya-sama at once," he handed the scroll to Alpha, then turned to Beta, "You report the situation to the Hokage ."

"Right away, sir!," the men saluted, then disappeared in a puff of smoke. The medic came to heal Lloyd, but the werewolf waved him off, pointing towards Sai.

"He needs you more than I do."

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Tsunade sagged in relief after hearing the report of the Beta team leader. But from what she heard, they weren't able to find Kushina. She screamed in rage and sorrow, throwing a large tome against the wall. She watched the multitude of pages fall to the ground, pretending they were various body parts of a certain monster of a man.

"Frustrated?," Tsunade's eyes darted to the side to glare at Jiraiya as he came in through the window. In his hands was an unusual scroll. She looked back at the spot on the wall she hit with the book.

"He won, Jiraiya. In death, Danzo beat us all. Kushina's probably dead, and...What are you smiling about?," Jiraiya's smile widened, and then opened the scroll so she could see. Tsunade gasped when the life-sized image of Uzumaki Kushina was revealed. Her long red hair and maroon kimono moved as though she were underwater, her face the picture of serenity. The woman was flanked on all sides by fluctuating characters and seals, the black marks orbiting around her.

"What is this, Jiraiya?," Tsunade asked, still stunned.

"A stasis scroll. Highly advanced. Never seen one that worked before."

"Does that mean..."

"She's alive?," Tsunade nodded hopefully. Jiraiya's grin grew, "Yeah. She's alive."

Tsunade couldn't help the tears of joy that streaked down her face.

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Lloyd eyed the unconscious form of Sai being carried on the back of an unnamed ANBU. The teen had taken a nasty blow to the head when the shaft collapsed. Lloyd himself was fully recovered after a few minutes of rest, and Itachi was walking beside him, his left arm in a sling. The medic-nin stayed closed to Sai, checking up on him periodically. Lloyd looked down at his hands, now slightly scarred from overusing the Lightning Blitz jutsu. He flexed his hands, testing their mobility. Satisfied, Lloyd turned his gaze towards the Western gate of Konoha that loomed ahead.

"What's on your mind, Lloyd?," Lloyd didn't bother to look at Itachi, but answered anyway.

"I'm hoping Jiraiya-sama made some headway on the scroll."

"Me too. I'm also worried about Sai," Lloyd nodded in agreement.

"Head injuries are hard to diagnose in the field. We won't know how bad it is until we get him to the hospital."

"Hm," the duo walked in silence after that, pondering the consequences their actions would have on Konoha. They reached the gate a few minutes later, greeted by a smiling Tsunade.

"I owe you guys. Especially you, Lloyd. If you need anything, just ask and I'll see what I can do," Lloyd's head shot up as if he just remembered something.

"Actually, Tsunade-sama, there is," he paused, taking the Hokage's silence as a cue to continue, "How would you feel about the forest surrounding Konoha being patrolled by werewolves," Tsunade's smile became vicious.

"I'd say hell yes. How though?"

"By making the forest my territory," Tsunade looked at Lloyd incredulously.

"What?"

"Yeah. By marking the forest as my new territory, the scattered members of my pack will all flock here. They are bound by oath to serve under my command, therefore they would be under your command as well," Tsunade held up a hand.

"We'll discuss this later, Lloyd. Let's get Sai to the hospital and get his head looked at," Lloyd assented and the Hokage personally led the strike force to the hospital.

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Jiraiya scratched his head as he examined the seals on Kushina's scroll. The dancing characters spoke volumes to a seal master like Jiraiya. The white-haired man sighed as he leaned back, the seals moving almost in a mocking way. The characters spoke volumes, but they weren't telling him how to get her out safely. Even with her healing abilities, Kushina's life was at serious risk. Jiraiya slapped his cheeks and leaned close to the scroll again. There must be something that he missed. His beady eyes wondered over the various black marks, but one in particular caught his eye. He looked at it more closely, and a big smile broke out on his face.

"Gotcha."

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"A blood relative?"

"Yes," Jiraiya answered, his face in a rare expression of seriousness, "the chakra of a blood relative is required to jump-start the chakra system. You see, getting Kushina physically out of the scroll is the easy part. The blood relative is needed to perform an immediate chakra transfusion, as the removal process will drain all of Kushina's chakra."

"Not even she could survive complete chakra depletion."

"Exactly. Which is why Naruto needs to be present when we pull her out."

"We?"

"I've asked Lloyd to assist me. He's knowledgeable in this area and he has the capacity to do what is needed," Tsunade nodded in approval.

"Then we'll revive Kushina tomorrow morning."

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"Tomorrow morning?"

"That's right kid. We need you in order to perform a chakra infusion," Naruto shot a confused look at Jiraiya. Jiraiya resisted the urge to smack his godson, knowing that Naruto wasn't the brightest bulb in the box sometimes.

"Why?," Jiraiya's face twisted into comical rage.

"Because if you don't come, I'll beat the living hell out of you!," Naruto got angry as well.

"Like hell you could, Ero-sennin!," Jiraiya's face turned beet red.

"That's it!," The older man lunged at Naruto, who barely managed to dodge. A chase ensued, Naruto running away from an infuriated Jiraiya. The scene wasn't new in Konoha. People generally ignored the pair as they tore down the streets and over rooftops, raising all kinds of hell in the process. Eventually either Tsunade or Sakura would stop them with a few well placed punches. But this time Jiraiya wasn't playing games. With speed many thought he was too old to possess, Jiraiya grabbed the collar of Naruto's jacket. Naruto's feet flailed helplessly in the air for a moment, before the teen realized that he had been caught. When Naruto seemed to calm down, Jiraiya dropped him. Naruto looked up at his mentor, and could tell by his expression that this was serious.

"Alright, Ero-sennin. I'll be there," Jiraiya smiled softly.

"Thanks kid," they fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the scenic view of Konoha at sunset, "So you do that Hyuuga girl yet?," Naruto coughed hard and glared at the older man, blushing furiously.

"Ero-sennin!!!"

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A/N-Kushina has been rescued, and will be revived soon! Please review!


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Naruto followed Jiraiya as they walked to the hospital, their shadows elongated by the morning sun.

"What am I going to do exactly, Ero-sennin?," Jiraiya peered back at his student for a moment before answering.

"We need you as a source of chakra. We found someone sealed in a stasis scroll," Naruto's eyes widened, "The process of removing the individual from the scroll will drain all her chakra, and we want her alive."

"So, you want me to transfer some of my chakra into this person. Can't someone else do it?," Jiraiya shook his head.

"No. The amount of chakra required is massive. Because of the fox, your chakra reserves are unnaturally large. You're the only one I can think of who can survive donating that amount of chakra," Naruto nodded.

"Do I need to learn any hand seals?," Again Jiraiya shook his head.

"No. You're going to push your chakra into a receiver seal. Then it will automatically go through a filter seal, putting it in a state similar to when blood is turned into plasma. And after that the now neutralized chakra goes into an injection seal, which will force the chakra into the receiver's chakra network."

"Sound's complicated..."

"Don't worry. You just need to donate the chakra. The seals will do the rest," the duo fell into silence as they entered through the main entrance of the hospital. Jiraiya led Naruto to one of the many large surgery rooms. Naruto thought it looked more like a dungeon cell. On the floor were two massive circular seals. The seals were bridged by a much smaller circle, which had some strands of red hair at the center. In the center of one of the big seals sat Lloyd, who was looking at an open scroll in appreciation and awe. Lloyd looked up when the duo approached.

"Hey Naruto," Naruto turned to Jiraiya.

"What's Lloyd doing here?"

"He's going to assist me with the extraction," Naruto nodded as he walked up to the unfurled scroll. He stared in awe of the beautiful woman on the paper.

"Who is she?," the silence that followed was palpable.

"An old friend...," Jiraiya answered quietly, then perked up again, "Alright Naruto, go over to the other circle and place your palm in the center. On my signal, transfer enough chakra to create two thousand Shadow Clones," Naruto nodded and took his place. A moment later Tsunade entered the room. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't comment. Jiraiya took a seat across from Lloyd on the other side of the scroll. Lloyd and Jiraiya made a single hand sign, waited for a moment, "Go."

Lloyd and Jiraiya started to fly through a multitude of hand seals. The characters on the scroll began to lock into place and glow. After a minute, all the black marks were now glowing a soft blue. The image of the woman began to lift of the paper. The picture began to take on dimension, and her features became more and more defined.

"Naruto, get ready!," Naruto nodded, placing his palm in the center of the circle, gathering his chakra for one burst. Lloyd and Jiraiya began to sweat from making hand signs nonstop, "Now!," Naruto grunted as he shoved all the chakra he had gathered into the seal. A pulse of harsh blue radiate from Naruto's hand. The blue light then warped around, entering the small seal that bridged the two larger circles. The strands of red hair slowly disintegrated, merging with the chakra. By now the woman was almost completely out of the scroll. Tsunade watched in rapt silence, seemingly awed by the process. Jiraiya and Lloyd made one final hand sign, and the filtered chakra flooded into the circle where the older men were seated. The blue glow gathered around the woman, slowly feeding into her. She glowed for a second, then in a flash the blue glow was gone. Tsunade rushed to the redhead's side, checking her vitals. The Hokage broke out into a huge smile.

"She's alive," at that Lloyd flopped on his back, breathing heavily. Jiraiya also looked thoroughly winded. Naruto wondered over to the small gathering, peering over Jiraiya's broad shoulder. The woman they had freed looked older than he thought. But she was still really pretty. Soon two hospital aids came with a stretcher, and the redhead was taken away. Tsunade followed them out, leaving Lloyd, Jiraiya, and Naruto alone in the seal room. After a moment, Lloyd kipped himself up to his feet full of energy. Naruto looked a little antsy as well. Jiraiya glared at the two younger men, panting and sweating.

"Damn werewolves and jinchuuriki," Jiraiya mumbled, "Not all of us can recover that quickly," Lloyd and Naruto snickered at the older man's jealousy.

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Tsunade watched the sleeping Kushina intently, alert for any changes in her condition. The steady beep of the heart monitor served to soothe the Hokage, reminding her that her friend was alive. The stillness of the scene was interrupted by groan from the sleeping woman. Tsunade resisted the urge to rush to the woman's side, deciding instead to watch from her chair. The redhead's eyes blue eyes looked clouded over for a second, but they quickly snapped into focus. Kushina sprang up to a sitting position and yelled.

"Naruto!," Tsunade's heart nearly broke, knowing that Kushina had missed out on the first fifteen years of her son's life.

"Kushina, calm down," Kushina's now frantic blue eyes snapped towards the voice, and her gaze softened.

"Tsunade?," the older woman nodded biting her lower lip, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"How is she?," Both women turned their heads to see Jiraiya as he slipped in through the window.

"Hey, Ero-sennin," Jiraiya's expression deadpanned, and Tsunade laughed. Kushina turned back to Tsunade, "What happened? Last I remember was a strong blow to the head in the recovery room," Tsunade straightened her posture, assuming her 'Hokage voice'.

"You were in a stasis scroll when we found you. Danzo was the one responsible fo-," Tsunade stopped as the sensation of being sliced to ribbons by a thousand burning blades washed over her. Kushina's killing intent hadn't lost any of it's edge. Her long red hair floated from the amount chakra she was flaring, her face a mask of fury. Even Jiraiya was beginning to sweat, "Kushina, calm down. Danzo is dead and gone," Kushina calmed a little, reigning in her bloodlust.

"Where is my son?," Tsunade felt a tingle go up her spine upon hearing Kushina's cold voice. Before she could answer, the door opened.

"Hokage-sama," the three adult eyed Itachi as he walked in the room. He turned his gaze to Kushina.

"Kushina, this is one of the men who rescued you from Danzo's compound," Kushina bowed her head.

"You have my thanks. Might I know you name?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

"Itachi...that can't be. Uchiha Itachi is only five," Tsunade visibly winced. Kushina turned to face her, "Tsunade..."

"Yes, Kushina?"

"How long was I in stasis?," Tsunade paused, her amber eyes slightly hidden by her bangs.

"Fifteen years."

"WHAT!?!?"

"What's going on?," Everyone in the room froze at the sound of Naruto's voice. Kushina openly stared at her now grown son, tears now snaking down her cheeks.

"Naruto...," the redheaded woman whispered. Naruto looked at her intently.

"...Have we met?," Kushina sobbed. Tsunade cleared her throat to get the blonde teen's attention.

"Naruto," Tsunade said, her voice quivering, "This is Kushina," Naruto looked back to the woman on the bed, "Your mother," he whipped his head to face her.

"My...," he looked at Kushina in the eyes, "...mom?," Kushina nodded enthusiastically. Naruto's face shifted through several expressions but it finally settled on a smile, and a single tear streaked down his cheek.

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A/N-Mother and son are reunited. Please review.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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"Tsunade-sama, about what I asked the other day...," Lloyd inquired, standing before the Hokage.

"Ah yes. Feel free to do what you need to do. But first, could you tell me the details on what this process involves."

"Certainly," Lloyd straightened his posture and cleared his throat, "As an alpha, I have the ability to 'mark' a vast amount of land as my territory," Tsunade looked a little nauseous.

"'Mark'? As in...," Lloyd's eyes widened as he shook his head.

"No, not like that. The process is actually similar to setting up a perimeter seal," Tsunade regained her composure after hearing that.

"Very well. Now what benefits does this provide?"

"Well, first of all, members of my father's pack will flock to the area. It's a compulsion. Secondly, werewolves are at their strongest in their home turf," Tsunade nodded in understanding.

"So your pack will be stronger in the area you designate. I understand, go on."

"And stealthier, but that's a given. It's the final, and in my opinion, most valuable boon that drives my decision."

"What's that?"

"The fact that while werewolves are on their territory, they have a direct telepathic link to their alpha. In other words...," Tsunade decided to finish that thought.

"You know what they know and they know what you know," Tsunade looked stunned, "This will revolutionize the village's defensive capabilities. Of course you do realize that you will be spending more time with me in the future? With your real time knowledge of the village's condition, you're going to become one of the most valuable shinobis I have," Lloyd smiled.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Tsunade-sama."

"Good, now go set up the perimeter. I'm actually looking forward to this," Lloyd was still smiling as he bowed and left the office.

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"One more bowl, Teuchi!"

"Same here, old man!," Teuchi couldn't help but smile as he prepared their orders. When he had seen Kushina and Naruto walk into Ichiraku together, he dropped everything he was holding at the time. Including several porcelain bowls. Ayame volunteered to clean up the mess while he talked to Kushina. After hearing the full story, he was glad that that Danzo man was dead. Tuechi glanced at the bowls the two Uzumakis, counting about ten in total. Teuchi's smiled widened. Only Naruto and Kushina had ever managed to put away that much ramen in one sitting. Yep, those two were definitely mother and son. That thought brought up something in Teuchi's mind.

"Mom...," Naruto asked, and Kushina immediately turned to meet his gaze. Teuchi reasoned that being called 'mom' brought out Kushina's tender side.

"Yes, Naruto?," Naruto locked eyes with his mother, and dropped a variable bomb.

"What kind of person was the Yondaime?," Kushina spat out her noodles, then stared wide-eyed at Naruto in shock. Teuchi visible flinched, the same thought on his mind.

"H..how did you...?," Naruto shook his head and smiled knowingly.

"I've got a mirror, mom. I look just like him. It's kinda hard to miss," Kushina regained her composure a bit, and asked her own question.

"What kind of person do you think he was?," Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked up in contemplation.

"I don't hate him, if your worried about that. I just...want to know why me? Why did he choose his own son?," Kushina was quick to answer.

"He loved you, Naruto. More than anything else. But as Hokage, it would be unfair to ask another couple sacrifice their child if he weren't willing to sacrifice his own," tears began to form in his eyes, and Kushina quickly embraced him. Teuchi and Ayame looked on silently, then quickly left to the back room to give the two some privacy. From their place, the two Ichiraku's could hear Kushina talking in a hushed, soothing tone everytime Naruto sobbed. Ayame began to tear up herself. After a few minutes, they heard Kushina bellow.

"Teuchi, you can come out now," Both Teuchi and his daughter came back to the kitchen. Naruto and Kushina had both regained their composure, though their faces showed signs of crying. Kushina smiled, "We'll take those last bowls to go."

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Neji and Hinata both stood in their respective taijutsu stances. On the sidelines sat Hinata's father Hiashi, as well as the elders of the Hyuuga clan. A referee stood between the two teens, hand raised.

"Begin!," the referee jumped back from the arena. Both Hinata and Neji lunged at each other. Neji's quick palm thrusts and Hinata's sweeping strikes soon became an intricate dance. Thrust, twirl, slice, step, dodge...the duel would be entrancing to an outsider. But the Hyuuga elders weren't watching because the fight looked good. Their pale eyes were scrutinizing Hinata's every move. Every step, every strike, every dodge was being silently criticized.

Then it happened.

Neji mistimed one of his strikes. And Hinata saw an opening. With nearly superhuman flexibility, Hinata twisted her hand to grab Neji's wrist. She leaned back, pulling Neji with her. Hinata landed on her back, and chambered both her legs. Neji, still in Hinata's unusually strong grip, fell right on the soles of Hinata's feet. Pushing all her strength, Hinata rolled back and launched Neji into the air behind her. Neji violently slammed into the arena wall, gasping as the air left his lungs. Hinata kipped up immediately, twirling in midair. She landed and slid into her stance facing Neji. Neji, now face down on the ground, coughed fiercely. He started to push himself off the ground, but his strength gave out and he collapsed. Hinata didn't flinch, knowing that she was being watched. She turned to the surprised elders and bowed, repeating the action with her father who bowed his own head.

"I believe this," announced Hiashi in a smug tone, "proves that my daughter is worthy of inheriting the seat of the Head of the Hyuuga clan when I retire," he looked over to the elders. Many of them looked rebellious, but the head elder spoke.

"That it does," Hiashi almost smiled as he watched his daughter leave the arena. His plan had worked. Since she and Naruto had started dating a few days ago, Hinata's confidence had gone through the roof. She was also less withdrawn than she once was, and had brazenly fought the elder's initial decision to pit her against her younger sister Hanabi. Hinata was finally everything Hiashi knew she could be. Hiashi stood, bowing to the elders, more out of decorum that anything else. He spared a glance at his nephew Neji. He would be fine, though his ego would definitely take a hit. At that, Hiashi took his leave. He then remembered that he had to set up a meeting with his daughter's boyfriend. Hinata was his little girl, and as her father it was his duty to scare the living hell out of any boy interested in her. A duty that he was looking forward to.

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As soon as she was out of the Hyuuga clan estate, Hinata launched herself onto the rooftops. She actually beat Neji! Neji the genius! She beat him! All that training with Naruto-kun had paid off. The thought of her boyfriend brought both a smile and a blush to her features. She had to tell Naruto-kun about her victory. She checked Ichiraku first, finding out she had just missed him. She managed to track him down in their training ground. But he wasn't alone. Naruto-kun and some redheaded woman were sitting together, talking animately. Hinata suppressed the rush of jealousy that washed through her. But that quickly vanished when Naruto-kun rushed up to her, capturing her in a fierce embrace.

"Hey Hinata, I want you to meet someone," Hinata quickly collected herself. Naruto-kun took her hand and lead her over to the redheaded woman, who looked somewhat familiar. The woman stood, dusting off her blood-red kimono in the process. The woman was absolutely beautiful, and Hinata suddenly felt self-concious and insecure. What she heard next though dismissed any of her fears, as well as rocked her, "This is Kushina...my mom. Mom, this is Hinata."

Hinata's eyes widened. She took a closer look at the older woman, and she nearly gasped. The woman had Naruto's eyes! Or Naruto had her eyes. Hinata started to feel a little awkward, but she became downright nervous at the way Naruto-kun's mother was looking at her. Hinata nearly jumped when the woman spoke to her.

"Is you mother's name Hana?," Hinata looked the woman in the eyes, caught off guard by the question.

"Yes," Kushina smiled.

"So your Hana's daughter! Oh my God!," Kushina squealed, quickly hugging the now very confused Hyuuga girl. Kushina backed off to study Hinata at arms length, "Look at you...You look just like her. Thank God you didn't inherit your father's features. So how is Hana?," Hinata looked down.

"She...she died," Kushina looked like she had been struck. The older woman sighed and a look of sheer depression marred her pretty face.

"How many more of my friends are dead, I wonder," Hinata wanted to say something, but Kushina regained her composure, "But enough about that. Tell me about yourself."

"Why?," Kushina smiled.

"As a mother it's my right to interrogate my son's girlfriends," Hinata paled. She looked at Naruto looking for support. But he shrugged and shook his head. Hinata figured she didn't have much of a choice.

This could take a while.

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Kaoru looked down on the shocked elderly faces. He removed his mask, and many of them looked absolutely terrified. Kaoru disrespectfully shoved the headless body out of it's seat, and took it's place. He looked to the head of the Hanabishi clan, happy to see the sheer terror on his face. He than addressed the council of Iwakagure.

"I'm in charge now."

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A/N-Hinata meets Kushina, and Kaoru's plan succeeds. Please review?


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

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Tsunade put down the report the messenger hawk from Jiraiya's contact in Iwakagure had brought. Kaoru did it. The bastard actually did it. She leaned back in her chair. Within a few days another messenger hawk from Iwa would show up, and the world as they knew it would change. But for now...

"Tsunade-sama," called a muffled voice.

"Enter," Tsunade watched her two apprentices walk into the office and take a seat. When Sakura came to her three years ago, the pink-haired girl was desperate to be strong enough to help Naruto and Sasuke. Now, Sakura had all but surpassed her master, and would be the chief medical officer in Konoha in less than ten years. Ino was also gifted in the healing arts, but not nearly as much as Sakura. Ino's true talents lay in information networking and espionage, proven by her up-to-the-minute knowledge the village's latest gossip. That, and she was an incredible shrew. Ino smirked, flipping her platinum blonde ponytail behind her shoulder.

"Mission accomplished, Tsunade-sama," Tsunade cracked a grin at that. The distraction of matchmaking was exactly what she needed.

"Are you sure?," Ino nodded demurely.

"If the ten minutes of making out was any indicator," Tsunade actually laughed at that. But the image of a boy she considered as her grandson sucking face was not something she needed right now.

"Alright," Tsunade exclaimed, leaning forward on her desk, "I've already got the next targets," she handed the girls a small file, which they both looked over simultaneously. Sakura's ensuing giggle sounded diabolical.

"Oh this is perfect! Kakashi-sensei really needs a love life," Ino nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. All he does is read that smut. And in public! Talk about lonely."

"Girls, you know what to do," At that, both Sakura and Ino left the office together. Tsunade leaned back with her hands behind her head. Time for a nap before Shizune the worry wart barged in. If she wasn't with Iruka.

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"Shizune, I don't see why we have to sit here."

"I don't want anyone to recognize us. Do you know what happened last time someone asked me out?"

"Yeah. You told me fifteen times already. You need to relax."

"I know...," Iruka smiled at the woman who sat across from him. Shizune was actually was a very fun person. If you get her to relax. Years with the heavy-drinking, chronic-gambling Tsunade had practically turned the poor girl into a nervous wreck. But when Tsunade changed her bad habits to become Hokage, Shizune stayed the same. She became so used to there being danger around every corner that she worried over every little thing. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the waitress. After placing their orders, Iruka took the time to study his date. Shizune was a petite woman, with short black hair and big almond-shaped deep brown eyes. Her feminine features belied her strength as a shinobi. Heck she could kick his butt no problem. After they placed their orders, the couple fell into a comfortable conversation. Iruka's smile widened as Shizune's posture began to loosen up and she leaned back in her chair a little. Soon their dinner arrived, and they made the occasional comment as they ate.

After the meal, the couple walked the streets of Konoha. At night, the village's streets were lit by several gas powered streets lamps. Shizune held onto Iruka's arm as the strolled under one of the hundreds of trees that dotted the village proper. Shizune leaned a bit more on Iruka, and the man wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him, and he returned it. The mood was soon interrupted.

"Shizune! Is that you!?," Both Shizune and Iruka froze. The looked at each other, then looked behind them. Behind them was Tsunade herself, and she was in the company of a redheaded woman. And it looked like both of them had been drinking. Shizune's hands snapped to her mouth as she gasped.

"K-Kushina-san!?," Iruka eyed this redhead. She was stunningly beautiful, but some _very_ small age lines at the corner of her eyes told him she was older than she looked.

"It is you!," in an instant the redhead was crushing Shizune in a bear hug. Iruka couldn't help but marvel at this Kushina's speed. He barely registered her movement.

"Ribs...breaking...," Kushina dropped the woman, flushed from drinking. She turned her gaze to Iruka, and he noticed something about her. Something that he had seen somewhere before...

"And you must be Iruka," she bowed, swaying from the alcohol. Shizune rushed to Tsunade, who seemed to be in the middle of one of her rare relapses. According to the rumor, she only got like this when memories of her dead lover overwhelmed her. And the Hokage's tear stained face seemed to confirm the gossip. He turned his attention back to Kushina, "I heard you...you took care of my little boy," she slurred. Ah, so she was a mother of one of his students.

"Maybe," Iruka answered, not sure how to deal with a drunk woman, "Who is he?"

"Naru-ruto," Iruka felt a his stomach turn into an icy ball. This woman was Naruto's mother! Iruka thought himself an even tempered man. But meeting Naruto's mother, who had abandoned her son for fifteen years, brought out his anger like nothing other.

"Yes, I remember him," Iruka was surprised at how cold he sounded. Kushina looked at him with wide eyes. He didn't want to do this, but Iruka had to give this woman his two cents, "A boy with no family, constantly taunted, abused, and attacked by the villagers. A boy whose wounds I've helped treated when the mobs came after him _on his birthday_. Yes, I remember him. In fact, I know more about him than you ever will," Kushina wilted as he spoke, until she sat on the ground hugging her knees to her chest. Fresh tears burned trails down her face.

"You're probably right," her voice was shaky with emotion, "But I always wanted him. I still do. He's my son. MY son," She looked up, and Iruka was surprised to see her smiling, "And I will do everything in my power to make up for all those years he spent alone," Iruka suddenly saw the image of Naruto's face overlap with hers. So that's where he got his determination. He wanted to stay mad at her, but the raw emotion writhing in her expression told him she was sincere. He offered her a hand. She looked at him with curiosity.

"You're as bad at hiding your emotions as he is," She took the hand, and Iruka pulled her up off the ground. At that point Shizune came over, supporting a very drunk Tsunade.

"I'm sorry," Shizune whined. Iruka just shook his head.

"It's okay. I'll take Kushina-san home."

"No need," Iruka turned to see Kushina standing evenly, the drunken haze gone from her cobalt eyes.

"How did yo-," Kushina put a finger over her smirking lips in a silencing gesture.

"Family secret," and she disappeared in a burst of smoke.

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"How long have they been watching us?"

"Oh, about fifteen minutes or so."

"Heh. Amateurs. They should know you can't sneak up on two jounins. Especially us. Right Kakashi?"

Kakashi simply nodded. Anko smirked. Of course he agreed. She was right. She and Kakashi had been sitting at a bar together when they noticed two people were watching them intently. Turns out it was Kakashi's only female student and the girl's best friend. They were probably spying on her and Kakashi trying to get the latest gossip. Anko didn't care. She actually remembered the two from the preliminaries of the final matches for the Chunnin exam three years ago. At the time, those girls hated each other's guts, and the fight computer pitted them against each other. It was the only double knock out in the history of the Chunnin exams. After that, the girls worked on rekindling their old friendship. And now they were thick as thieves, helping Tsunade keep tabs on what was going on in the village.

"So what now?," Kakashi didn't respond at first.

"My place?," Anko smirked as she threw back a small saucer of sake.

"That's pretty bold Kakashi," the masked man didn't move, "I like that. Your place it is," The two paid for their drinks and left the bar. Sakura and Ino didn't even bother following. They were stunned to silence. But when it came to Ino, silence was short-lived.

"Whoa...," Sakura nodded.

"Go Kakashi-sensei..."

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Not for the first time Kushina praised her healing factor. A healing factor that quickly undid the effects of alcohol if she concentrated properly. She was going to have to teach Naruto how to use his healing abilities to their full potential. These thoughts swam through her mind as she stepped into her new apartment. There was no way she could stay in the old residence she shared with Minato at the Hokage building, and she couldn't ask Naruto if she could move in with him. So Tsunade pulled some strings and got her a place to live for as long as she needed it. It was a nice flat, but it was sparsely furnished. As she got ready for bed, Kushina mentally went over a list of what she wanted to do the next day. She really wanted to buy some new clothes, as she was still wearing the kimono she was wearing when she was first freed from that scroll. She also wanted to get to know Hinata. From watching her interactions with him, it was obvious that the girl knew a lot about her son. Maybe she and Hinata could go shopping together. That would be a good way to spend time with the Hyuuga girl. Kushina plopped into bed, wishing not for the last time that Minato was laying there with her...

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A/N-What is Kaoru planning now, and how is Konoha involved? Please review!


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Sorry I haven't been talking to you guys. I have a bad habit of getting absorbed in the writing. Anyway, just to let you know I miss the reviews. I love reading them, and they make me fell like I'm actually making progress.

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Chouji sagged a little as Ino piled on another shopping bag. He and Ino had been privately seeing each other since the festival. A few dates outside of Konoha, some hand holding. Nothing too serious. It still amazed him that someone as beautiful as Ino would have any interest in him. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Chouji walked along behind Ino, loaded with bags of various sizes and colors. It was nothing he couldn't handle, but Chouji knew how Ino could get when it came to shopping.

"Hey Ino!," Chouji and Ino both looked to see Sakura waving her hand across the street. Behind the pink hair girl was a very grumpy looking Sasuke, who was also holding a few shopping bags. Sakura and Sasuke crossed the road, and she and Ino greeted each other. He gave a nod to Sasuke, who responded with a grunt. Chouji flashed a smirk, glad that he wasn't the only one being treated like a pack mule. How Sasuke managed to maintain that regal air about him in this degrading situation though was something Chouji envied.

"Oi! Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!," Everyone turned to see Naruto walking down the street, hand-in-hand with Hinata. Wait, hand-in-...Chouji smirked. But Sasuke was quicker on the draw.

"About time you noticed her, dobe," Naruto slumped at the Uchiha's insult.

"Was I the only one that didn't know...?," Chouji answered Naruto's question in a deadpan tone.

"Pretty much," At this point Naruto looked downright depressed. Hinata shot the both of them a nasty look. Chouji didn't know sweet shy Hinata was capable of that expression. She turned her attention to the sulking Naruto, whispering a few words in his ear. When she was finished, Naruto's mood uplifted immediately, the light returning to his eyes as he crushed a laughnig Hinata in a bear hug. Chouji shook his head. Naruto was so childlike sometimes. Then Sakura spoke.

"Hey guys, let's all have lunch together," then Naruto yelled.

"Sasuke's treat!," Sasuke blanched as the girls cheered in agreement. The Uchiha glared at Naruto, while the blonde looked on in triumph. Chouji knew Sasuke could afford it, what with the Uchiha treasury at his disposal and everything. That didn't mean he couldn't laugh at Sasuke's misfortune.

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Lloyd stepped back to view his handiwork. All the inscriptions were now in place. Lloyd placed his open clawed hand on the carving. Lloyd grunted, and the inscription glowed a bright blue. Throughout the forest identical inscriptions began to glow as well, outlining an area of over thirty square miles which included the village and the surrounding forest. The color quickly faded, leaving only the clear inscription. Lloyd faded back into his human form, reading the inscription one more time. The language it was written in was a near dead precursor to Western called Latin.

'Territory of the Alpha Lloyd. May all friends find strength here. May enemies find death.'

Lloyd nodded and turned to make his way back to the village. He was in the mood for some ramen...

"Lloyd-senpai!," Lloyd stopped as an ANBU landed in front of him. Lloyd recognized the boy as one of his subordinates in the Hunter-nin squad. The man spoke again, "Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately," Lloyd drooped a bit. And he really wanted to see Ayame, too. Maybe after the meeting.

"I'll be there."

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Tsunade leaned forward on her desk. Lloyd and Itachi stood at attention before her, both in their standard jounin uniforms. Itachi wore a brand-new leaf headband, his old one had a scratch through the emblem.

"Recently, you two have shown both skill and loyalty. Not only have you brought down the dark shadows of antiquity by removing Danzo and his ilk from power, but you also brought back a dear friend of mine. For this, I'm offering you more responsibility as shinobi of Konoha. Do you accept?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!," Tsunade smiled at their immediate response.

"In that case, I'm assigning both of you to handle the most important role in Konoha," Lloyd and Itachi seemed to be paying much more attention, "The role of sensei," the two of them stayed silent for a moment.

"Are you saying that me and Itachi are...," Tsunade nodded.

"Starting tomorrow, you two will each take on your own team of genin," Lloyd looked down, then met her gaze. The doubt on his face was obvious.

"I don't know if I'm ready for this...," the Hokage shook her head.

"You two are more than ready. I expect you two at the Academy tomorrow at one in the afternoon. Don't leave your students waiting," She handed the boys three files each. They bowed to her, and took their leave. Tsunade leaned back. She had wanted Lloyd to be a sensei for quite some time, and Itachi's skills needed to be passed on. She knew the new genin students were in good hands.

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Itachi and Lloyd sat in one of the many lounges in the Hokage mansion. Itachi was leaning back on a sofa, one of his files standing open on his chest. Lloyd was hunched forward, all his files open on the small table in front of him. He ran a hand through his brown hair.

"How does your team look,?" Itachi didn't look from his file as he asked.

"My team is pretty well rounded. I've got a taijutsu prodigy, a girl good with Doton jutsu, rounded out by a boy with near perfect chakra control and talent for genjutsu."

"The genjutsu user would make a good medic-nin," Lloyd nodded scratching his chin.

"Definitely. What about yours?"

"My team seems to be geared towards speed and stealth. All my students got exceptional marks in that area. I think Tsunade-sama wants me to pass on my skills to them. I can see all these kids in ANBU someday."

"That makes sense. But I see no sense or reason in my team. Sure they bring unique skills to the table, but as I unit I can't think of what kind of missions they would be given. Plus, my skill set is geared towards tracking...," the pieces snapped into place in Lloyd's head, and he smiled.

"What is it?," Itachi was now focusing on the grinning Lloyd.

"This team was built for capture missions. The taijutsu boy runs interference, the Doton girl makes the capture with her jutsu, while their teammate uses genjutsu to confuse the target."

"That makes sense," Lloyd glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Well I'm heading out," Lloyd gathered all his files into one stack and stood, "I've been craving ramen all day," Itachi nodded in parting. Lloyd swiftly left the Hokage's mansion made his way to Ichiraku. On the way, he dropped off his student's files at his and Dae's apartment.

"Hey Lloyd," Lloyd nodded at his sister's greeting.

"Hey. I'm just dropping off these files, then I'm heading out," Lloyd looked in a mirror real quick.

"Going to see your _girlfriend_?," Lloyd turned to his sister for a second.

"What makes you think I have a girlfriend?," Dae smiled knowingly.

"Your checking your appearance in the mirror," Lloyd began to blush.

"I...I just don't want to look frumpy, is all."

"You mean you don't want to look frumpy for your girlfriend," Lloyd's eyebrow began to twitch.

"I'm off then," but before he could close the door.

"Tell your girlfriend I said hi!," Lloyd slammed the door in aggravation, hearing his sister's muffled laughter. He muttered under his breath as his blush intensified.

"Little brat."

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"Mind if I join you?," The three couples looked up to see a beautiful woman with red hair and familiar blue eyes. Naruto smiled broadly.

"No problem! Guys this is Kushina," Kushina was glad that her son remembered to keep their relation under wraps. She learned that people tended to treat her son better when they knew his mother was within earshot. And Kushina wanted the truth. She bowed to her son's friends as she pulled up a chair. She took a moment to quickly scan the teens at the table. She recognized Sasuke and Sakura from the pictures in Naruto's apartment. Sasuke had the same air about him as his older brother Itachi, but he possessed softer, more boyish features. He reminded Kushina of his mother Mikoto. Sakura was a cute girl, but she seemed to inherit Tsunade's somewhat violent temper, proven when she smacked Naruto across the head for speaking with his mouth full. The blonde girl with blue eyes had to be a Yamanaka. Was she Inoichi's daughter? Probably. The Akimichi she knew was Choza's son Chouji. The resemblance was glaring.

"So how do you know Naruto, Kushina-san?," Kushina turned to the Yamanaka girl, "My name's Ino, by the way," Yep, definitely Inoichi's daughter.

"Oh, we go back a ways," Ino eyes darted to Hinata for an instant. Kushina imagined that the blonde girl was confused by Hinata's lack of reaction to such a statement. It tickled her to no end that most of these kids didn't realize that she was pushing forty. Healing factors were great for reducing the effects of aging. Many in the Uzumaki clan lived to see over a hundred, and she hoped Naruto was no exception.

"What do you mean you go back a ways?," Kushina smirked at the blonde. Everyone else at the table was paying attention to her. She shot a knowing glance towards Naruto.

"Well, he is my son," the reaction was immediate. Ino's jaw dropped. Chouji started choking on his food. Sakura gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Sasuke's eyes became saucers as he stared at her. Ino tried to speak, but the shock was debilitating her.

"Wha-Ho-He-You...Your SON!?!?," she finally managed to get out. Kushina crossed her arms.

"What? You thought he popped into existence out of nothing?," Ino shook her head, having regained most of her composure.

"No. I just thought he was an orphan...," Kushina shook her head. By now, everyone else had calmed down. Sakura spoke this time.

"Aren't you a little young to have a fifteen year old son?," Kushina smirked.

"Nope," Ino tilted her head, squinting as she scrutinized Kuhina's face.

"How old are you?," the redhead's eyes looked upward as her smirk turned into a smile. She then made eye contact with Ino.

"Thirty-eight," Silence. Sakura broke it first as she practically jumped across the table to get a better look at Kushina's face.

"You look amazing!," then Ino joined in.

"How do you do it?," Kushina laughed at the girls gushing.

"Family secret," the two girls suddenly turned to Naruto with a predatory gleam in their eyes. Naruto froze like a deer in the headlights, the food in his chopsticks falling back onto his plate.

"Leave Naruto-kun alone, you two!," the whole table jumped at Hinata's fierce statement and expression. She was standing, hands on her hips in a scolding manner. Both Sakura and Ino backed down, shocked at mousy little Hinata showing some backbone. When she realized that half the restaurant was staring at her, Hinata turned her glare towards them.

"What?!," Most of the patrons suddenly went back to eating their food. Hinata huffed and sat down, a cute little scowl set on her face. Naruto chuckled and put his arm around Hinata's shoulder. She seemed to melt into the contact, her face instantly calming. The rest of the party looked on in fascination. Naruto looked around and raised his hand.

"Check please!," Chouji began to laugh a little.

"Now that's what I call a dinner and a show."

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A/N- Lloyd and Itachi are getting students, and Kushina is introduced to some friends. Please review.


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Wow! Forty chapters already. Have I really been writing for that long? Anyway, please enjoy!

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Many thoughts were swimming through Lloyd's head as he made his way to the academy. The ones that were most prevalent were the memories of his own teammates and sensei. Comrades and friends who had long since left him behind. He worried that the children soon to be in his charge would suffer the same fate. He stopped before the back entrance to the school.

"Not this time," he muttered. He walked to the door, opened it and stepped inside. As he walked down the halls, a wave of nostalgia coursed through him that stopped him in his tracks. All the memories of the years he spent learning the ninja arts rushed back into his conscious thought. Those were better times. Lloyd shook his head, banishing the faces of dead friends from his mind. Things would be different this time. He continued making his way, finding the room he was looking for. Nine other jounin were waiting outside the door. Lloyd nodded in greeting Itachi, who returned the gesture. The door to the classroom opened, revealing Iruka. The scarred teacher nodded to the jounin. Lloyd walked in first. He noticed most of the kids in the room were openly staring at him. They had probably never seen a Westerner before, let alone one that was six inches taller than the average male in Konoha. Iruka cleared his throat before he spoke, "Team five."

Three of the kids stood up and made their way to the front of the classroom. Lloyd looked over each of them as they approached. The girl had deep blue hair and green eyes. Her outfit was mostly black, including her bracers and nail polish. She wore her leaf headband on her forehead. Her dark appearance was contradicted by her bright and cheery disposition. The next child had a mop of long black hair, combed in such a way that it covered his eyes. He had on a pair of dark red pants, a white shirt, and a black jacket. He wore his headband as a belt. The last of his genin was a calm, smiley boy with shaggy pale blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled with unusual wisdom and maturity. His head band was tied around his left thigh, contrasting nicely with his tight green t-shirt and baggy tan cargo pants. Lloyd tilted his head towards the door, and walked out with his students in tow.

He was pleased to see that none of his charges looked back. His students followed him out of the academy and through the streets of Konoha. Lloyd spared a glance back. The girl was starting to look a little nervous, but was hiding it pretty well. The boy with black hair was starting to fidget, either out of boredom or irritation. The blonde boy bringing up the rear had his hands behind his head, and showed no signs of stress whatsoever on his tranquil face. He turned his gaze to the front again, turning towards Konoha's main park. He walked over to one of the many benches, and gestured towards it. His students took the hint and had a seat. Lloyd looked over them one last time, finding little change in their disposition. He crossed his arms over his chest, hoping the stance would exude authority.

"Alright," Lloyd bellowed while wearing a big smile. The young genin, save for the blonde, jumped at the loud voice, "Before we start things, why don't you tell me about yourself. Likes, dislikes, dreams, etc."

"Why don't you go first, sensei?," the blonde boy suggested, while a pleasant smile formed on his face, "You know, to give us an example," Lloyd nodded.

"Fair enough, " Lloyd assented, "My name is Lloyd. I like ramen, dogs, and my family. I dislike those who threaten my precious people. And my dream is to retire peacefully after a productive career," The kids nodded, but didn't really respond. After looking at both his teammates, the blonde boy shrugged.

"My name is Sakuraba Naoto. I like genjutsu, sushi, and my dad. I dislike people who enjoy making people miserable. My dream is to become someone my father can be proud of," Lloyd nodded. The girl looked less nervous than before.

"My name is Shiba Aoi. I like cats, bean soup, and my little sister. I don't like people who pick on my sister. My dream is to become a kunoichi like Hokage-sama," After she finished Lloyd turned to look at his black haired student. He grumbled a bit, but caved in after his new sensei gave him a stern look.

"I'm Kanzaki Akira. I like training, and dislike pointless things. I want to be a powerful shinobi," Lloyd resisted the urge to smack his face in frustration. Akira's attitude was typical of prodigies, and he would probably be the hardest to handle when it came to following orders. Naoto would be easy to work with, but Lloyd wasn't sure how receptive the kid would be to medic training. And Aoi had a goal to work for, but she seemed to lack the confidence her teammates possessed. Lloyd did notice, and he thanked God for this, that the girl didn't seem to be hopelessly infatuated with either of her teammates. He'd seen this problem destroy the teamwork within squads on several occasions, and he was glad that he didn't have to deal with it.

"Very good," Lloyd said, putting his hands into his pockets, "Are you familiar with training ground seven?," all three of them nodded, "Then meet me there with full shinobi gear tomorrow morning at eight and don't be late," Lloyd then turned to leave.

"Why, sensei?," Lloyd craned his head to address Aoi's question. He simply smiled.

"Let's call it survival training," and with that Lloyd disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving three confused students to ponder the meaning behind his words.

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Aoi yawned as she leisurely walked towards training ground seven, her pack hanging by one strap on her back. She had decided to get a head start and arrive about half an hour early, in hopes of impressing her sensei. She knew she wasn't that strong, and she had been put with two of the better students in the class. Aoi walked into the training ground, not really surprised to find both Akira and Naoto waiting. Naoto was leaning leisurely on a tree, and smiled at her when he noticed. Akira was off a bit going through some taijutsu katas. Though she wasn't really surprised. She smiled a bit.

"Hey guys."

"Hey," Naoto greeted with a casual wave. Akira simply grunted. Aoi's smile faltered at the cold shoulder Akira had given her, but Naoto shot him a disapproving look.

"Don't treat your teammates like that. She might save your life someday."

"Whatever," Akira muttered as he stopped his workout, "Does either of you know what this is about? We covered survival in the academy."

"Well," Aoi said setting her pack down, "I think Lloyd-sensei wants to see what we can do."

"Sounds pointless. He should have our files and know everything about us."

"That's not true," Naoto pointed out, "Think of it this way: What's a better way to learn about a resort? Read the brochure, or stay there yourself? I think sensei wants to get a handle on who we are and what we can do firsthand, seeing as reports are often misleading."

"Whatever," Akira plopped down on the grass. The three waited in silence as the morning mist cleared, and the visibility improved. The area was a simple grass clearing, with a lone tree and a small pond with rocks jutting out. The perimeter was lined with lush forest, but the taller buildings of the village were visible over the tree line. Off to the side was a memorial stone behind three wooden training posts. At eight on the dot, a huge explosion with a lot of smoke went off in the center of the clearing. The three genin quickly jumped into fighting position, but relaxed as the outline of their sensei became visible. Lloyd walked forward out of the smoke, and stopped before the three twelve-year-olds.

"Good, good. You're all here. I didn't feel like giving out punishment for tardiness," Aoi gulped at the word 'punishment'.

"What's the point of this sensei?," Akira practically snarled.

"Alright, since you asked so _politely_," Akira ignored the dirty look from Lloyd, "This is to see whether you three are ready to become genin or not."

"But we passed the exam!," Akira protested. Lloyd shook his head.

"That was just to test to see if you were proficient in the basic shinobi techniques. You see, not everyone who graduates from the academy becomes shinobi. Only three teams are chosen per year, and most of the teams that don't make it are failed by their jounin. Before you guys go out into the world, it's my job to see if you got what it takes to be a shinobi. Which is why we're here," Lloyd gestured towards the training ground.

"So what's the test?," Aoi asked hesitantly. Lloyd spread his arms wide.

"Simple. Those who land a blow on me before noon pass and become genin. Those who don't go back to the academy."

"That's absurd!," Aoi yelled, "There's no way a genin fresh out of the academy could hit a jounin!," Lloyd closed his eyes and shrugged.

"Well if you can't do it, then you obviously don't have what is necessary to be a shinobi," Without warning Akira roared and charged towards Lloyd, chambering a kick. Lloyd simply sidestepped the attack, and Akira landed to throw out a rapid succession of strikes which Lloyd blocked with ease. Lloyd smiled mockingly, "I like your initiative," Lloyd stated, then grabbed the boy by the wrist, "And initiative should be rewarded," and with a heave Lloyd hurled the boy into the pond, causing a huge splash. He turned towards his remaining students and smiled, "Next."

In that instant Lloyd felt his body being restrained. He looked up to see that he was being held in place by a giant tree that apparently appeared out of nowhere.

"Not bad, Naoto," the young blonde melted out of the tree trunk a foot above Lloyd's head, a pleasant expression on his face, "But the thing about genjutsu...," Lloyd flared his chakra, and the tree shattered. The force of the flare sent Naoto skidding across the clearing, "...is that its easy to dispel when you know its coming," Lloyd looked around the clearing. Akira was giving him a death glare through his soggy bangs as he pulled himself out of the water. Naoto was picking himself up, rubbing his butt where he skidded. And Aoi was nowhere to be seen. Lloyd felt a pressure on his ankle. He looked down to see a small hand protruding from the ground, gripping his leg. At that moment Akira dashed towards him yelling and leapt into the air, intent on delivering a kick to the head.

"**Doton: Inner Decapitation Jutsu!**"

A plume of dust and dirt shot up...

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Itachi observed the surroundings around him. He smirked.

"Alright. You pass," at that, his three genin leapt in front of their sensei. The boy on the left had very tan skin, tied back orange dreadlocks, and deep brown eyes. He wore a baggy pair of olive shorts and a red jacket over a mesh shirt, with his headband on his forehead. The girl possessed long black hair and matching eyes. She was wearing a matching pair of black pants taped at the ankles and a long sleeved shirt, with a simple purple vest. Her headband was looped around her neck. The last of his students was a short boy with brown hair and squinty blue eyes. His teal pants, tan shirt and white boonie hat gave off a rambunctious aura, only accentuated by the band-aid over the bridge of his nose. He had mounted the metal part of his headband on the front of his hat. Itachi addressed his students.

"Good work, but I saw some mistakes. Akaji," he looked at the boy with the dreads, "Your hair tends to stick out. Try finding something to cover it," then the girl, "Your outfit is ideal for nighttime operations Sayuri, but in the daytime it's not the best, and Kuma," the short boy looked up, "Your size gives you an advantage and you are incredibly fast for your age, but you need to learn to stay in one place," All three of the genin seemed to take the criticism to heart. Itachi nodded, "Alright, now let's go see how a friend of mine is doing with his genin," The students looked confused.

"For what reason, Itachi-sensei?," Itachi smirked at the girl's question.

"Because I want to see what kind of exam someone like him will put his students through."

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A/N-Lloyd meets his genin, and survival training has begun! Please review!


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Here is chapter forty one. Is it kind of sad that I have enough time to write this? Anyway, enjoy!

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"I got him!," Aoi exclaimed as she pulled herself out of the ground, "I got him!," But as the dust settled her joy turned to shock.

"You IDIOT!! You got the wrong person!!," Akira yelled, buried up to his neck in the ground. Naoto began to walk over, as Lloyd was nowhere to be found. Naoto and Aoi pulled Akira out of the hole by the collar of his jacket, while Aoi denied Akira's accusation.

"No! I had him!," Naoto looked around a bit. Akira just kept yelling.

"If you hadn't gotten in the way, I would have punted his head off!," By now, Aoi was almost to the point of tears. Naoto decided to intervene.

"It was actually your fault, Akira," said prodigy whipped around to face the blonde boy, "You gave him something to replace himself with," Akira paused in contemplation for a moment, then cursed as he kicked a nearby rock into oblivion.

"I didn't know that the Substitution Jutsu could be used like that...," Aoi trailed off. Naoto simply nodded, his easygoing expression still in place despite the stressful situation.

"You'd be surprised...," the young trio whirled around to see their sensei leaning on a tree, totally unharmed, "Sometimes the basics are the most effective," he sighed dramatically, "But at at the rate your going, you'll never be able to put that into practice."

"You'll see!," Akira yelled, pointing at Lloyd, "I won't fail your test," Lloyd's expression suddenly turned serious, and Akira looked like he had been struck.

"I'm not worried about that. I'm saying that you'll probably get killed on your first real mission," Akira went silent after that. Lloyd pushed himself off the tree, "You guys show none of the qualities a shinobi should have. I really thought you three were smarter than that," He glanced towards the sky, "You guys have less than four hours to convince me otherwise," and with that Lloyd disappeared.

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Lloyd sighed as he took his position in the trees to observe his students. He began to think things through a bit.

_Akira is definitely a taijutsu prodigy. I can still feel the sting from blocking his attacks. But he's worse than I thought. He has a lot anger, and for a shinobi that's dangerous. Aoi's attack was good, but something like that isn't going to get a real jonin. Plus she's letting Akira walk all over her. And Naoto won't step up like I know he can. He received high marks for logistical and strategic theory, yet he just sits there and watches his teammates get trounced. Those three are a mess, but they have potential. They just need to figure out the point of this test._

He refocused his concentration on the three genin, who were now looking around. Lloyd started the second encounter as he lunged at them. They noticed the attack and leapt away. Akira then started into another, more advanced taijutsu combination. Lloyd again blocked the blows with little effort, and in his anger Akira's attacks starting getting wilder. Lloyd found an opening in the boy's defenses, and sent him flying into the surrounding woods with a well placed kick to the stomach.

"**Doton: Boulder Catapult Jutsu!**," Lloyd spun away, barely dodging a stone the size of a bowling ball as it whizzed past. Things seemed to move in slow motion as he used the momentum from his dodge to hurl a brace of shuriken towards Aoi. She jumped out of the way, one of the projectiles running through her long hair. Suddenly Lloyd's vision blurred and he felt dizzy and naseous. Lloyd halted the chakra flow of in his system, and for a moment everything in the world seemed muted. When he continued the flow, the effects of Naoto's genjutsu were gone. Lloyd looked around, seeing that his students had retreated into the surrounding woods. After a quick sniff, Lloyd bounded off after his genin intent on driving the point home.

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Naoto took a seat, wincing at the sore knee he had received the last encounter with sensei. Akira looked frustrated, but humbled by his sensei's fighting prowess, while Aoi had a look of sheer dejection. He closed his eyes in thought as he began to consider the situation while his teammates were licking their wounds.

_Lloyd-sensei is way too strong to fight up close, and he's probably holding back. None of us have come close to landing a hit, and we only have twenty minutes left._ _And the rules for the test makes things weird. Why would he judge our skills on whether or not we can hit him? The way this is set up, we'll all fail. Unless that wasn't the purpose of the test to begin with..._

Naoto's smiled widened.

"Clever, Lloyd-sensei..."

"What?," Aoi was looking at Naoto intently. Even Akira looked interested.

"This isn't an exam for our individual skills. It's a team evaluation."

"What does that mean?," the black-haired boy grumbled.

"It means Lloyd-sensei is testing our teamwork, and in that aspect we've been failing horribly."

"But if one of us doesn't land a hit, that person fails," Aoi said, restating the rules.

"I think sensei said that to throw us off and divide our efforts," Naoto reasoned, "And we fell for it."

"So now what?," Akira asked, seemingly open to any ideas at this point. Naoto's smile widened even further.

"I've got a plan, but we need to time this just right."

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Lloyd landed in the clearing, only to find a smiling Naoto standing alone. Lloyd straightened up a bit as he took a deep breath through his nose.

_The others are nearby. I wonder what they're planning, _Lloyd thought as he charged Naoto. But he suddenly sunk into the earth up to his knees and couldn't move. He looked down to see the dirt and grass fade away like a mirage, revealing a large, deep puddle of mud. The nausea and double vision struck him again, but it didn't prevent Lloyd from blocking Akira's flying kick. Naoto leapt into the air as well, and his spinning kick was also blocked. Then the mud in front of Lloyd exploded, and the jonin felt the impact of an uppercut on his jaw. Lloyd immediately freed himself from the mud with a leap, releasing himself from the genjutsu in the process. Standing before him were his three students. Aoi's black outfit was caked with mud, and she was cradling her hand, while Akira and Naoto stood beside her in defensive positions. Lloyd chuckled, hands on his hips as shook his head, but his students didn't waiver an instant. He then met their gazes, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Time's up. Aoi was the only one that landed a blow. That means you two go back to the academy," Akira looked a little pensive, but he kept his mouth shut. Naoto smiled as he answered.

"To tell the truth sensei, the fact that one of us managed to hit you is good enough for me," Naoto looked to Akira, who shrugged.

"I'm just glad you got the punch in the face you deserve," Lloyd laughed loudly at that, and smiled broadly.

"That's the attitude I'm looking for," the genin began to perk up, "Congratulations. You guys pass," Lloyd's smile widened as he watched his students react. Akira smirked as his posture relaxed a bit. Naoto's smile got a fraction bigger. And Aoi slumped to her knees, tears of joy going down her face. Lloyd cleared his throat, getting his the attention of his students, "Seeing as I beat the crap out of you for the majority of the morning, I'll take you to lunch at Ichiraku. My treat," Aoi cheered at the prospect of free food. Naoto kept smiling, and Akira was actually smiling a bit himself. Lloyd jerked his head and began walking, but his students dashed past him. Lloyd shook his head as took his place behind his new charges.

To say that he felt pride for his new students would have been an accurate summation.

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"And I thought we had it hard..."

"As you can see," Itachi turned to address his team, "You three got off relatively easy."

"Yeah," Akaji said, "But if you wanted to, you could have easily outdone that guy, right Itachi-sensei?"

"Actually, Lloyd is one of the few people in the world I know of who could kill me in a real fight," His students seemed taken aback.

"But your _the_ Uchiha Itachi," Kuma stated, "You're one of the best," Itachi shook his head.

"The only reason I'm known as the best because I, like many others, foolishly advertised my talent when I was younger. Lloyd played it smart and hid his genius, and as a result he is far more dangerous than I will ever be."

"How's that, Itachi-sensei?," Sayuri asked.

"Becuase there are very few people who have ever head of him, let alone know how powerful he is. This means that opponents are more liable to underestimate him, and he is able to move with a large degree of anonymity. While if I were to encounter someone, they are going to do everything in their power to defeat me because I'm, as you put it Kuma, _the_ Uchiha Itachi. Plus my fame makes it very hard to hide my movements, making me rather easy to keep track of," his students seemed to get the point, if their silence was any indicator. Itachi was glad that his genin were sharp enough that he only had to explain things once, "Now lets go get something to eat. I'm sure you three are hungry," with a nod from his students, Itachi made his way back to Konoha, charges in tow.

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"I can't believe you beat up your own students this badly, Lloyd-kun!," Lloyd looked nervous as Ayame admonished him. To the side Naoto, Aoi, and Akira were doing all they could to keep from laughing by stuffing ramen in their mouths. Seeing their big scary sensei cower at the rage of a woman a foot shorter than him was hilarious.

"It was a test! What did you want me to do?," This only seemed to infuriate the woman even more.

"To take it easy on them! Their only genin!," Naoto raised his hand.

"Well, in Lloyd-sensei's defense, we were being a little hard headed," both Lloyd and Ayame looked at the blonde boy, "And that beating got the message across," Ayame crossed her arms and huffed.

"That may be, but I'm still mad at you Lloyd-kun," Lloyd slumped at the woman's stubbornness.

_But that's one of the reasons I love her so much_, he thought as Ayame walked into the back room. Lloyd couldn't help but look at Ayame's tantalizing hips...

"You okay, sensei?," Lloyd jumped, turning to see that all three of his students were looking at him.

"Why do you ask Aoi?," he asked, not liking the sly expression she was giving him.

"You started blushing when Ayame was walking away," Lloyd was about to rebuke the statement, but his other students joined in.

"Methinks you have a thing for a certain ramen waitress...," Naoto said, wagging his eyebrows. Akira smirked, slurping his ramen noodles. Lloyd slouched on his stool, fighting the urge to laugh hysterically.

_They have NO idea..._

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"Are you sure there isn't a girl in your life, Itachi-sensei?," Itachi sighed. He liked Kuma, but the boy had a bad habit of not letting certain things drop.

"There is no room for such things."

"What about reviving the Uchiha clan," Sayuri interjected, "You can't expect your little brother to do it by himself."

_She has a point,_ Itachi pondered, _Sasuke-otouto alone can't revive a clan, and I don't think Sakura-san wants to have many children, _Itachi looked up.

"True enough, I suppose," Itachi assented, picking up a dumpling with his chopsticks, "But I doubt I could find a woman that would be suitable both genetically and that match my aesthetic tastes," Just then a loud smacking sound rang throughout the Dango Inn restaurant. At a nearby table sat a disgusting looking old man, slumped in his seat. Standing next to the victim was a waitress holding her hand in a fist. Her face was flushed with anger, and her hazel eyes were glaring at the fat unconscious form.

"What about her?," Itachi glanced a Akaji, "I mean, she's pretty and she just knocked out a guy twice her size," Itachi smirked.

"She, my students, is forbidden fruit."

"Why?," Kuma asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Because that is my jounin friend's sister," The boys looked stunned, but Sayuri was tapping her chin in thought.

"Then wouldn't that make you qualified to pursue her?," Itachi quirked an eyebrow.

"Intriguing. Continue."

"Well, seeing as her brother is your friend, that means that he would be more likely to trust her to you than some random schmuck," Then she added, "Plus I think you can take one of her punches no problem," Itachi turned his onyx gaze back to the waitress.

_I must admit, Lloyd's sister does have many qualities that make her uniquely appealing. I'll talk to Lloyd about it later_, Itachi turned to his female student.

"I'll think about it," Satisfied with his answer, Itachi's team continued eating dinner as the pompous old man was dragged out of the restaurant.

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A/N-Lloyd has passed his team, and they're already giving him grief. Please review!


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Sorry this chapter is shorter then they have been lately! I just couldn't come up with anything else. Please enjoy.

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"Digging up a grave, fake or not, is really disrespectful, Tsunade."

"Kushina," Tsunade said, leaning forward, "There were certain items buried with the body that-," Kushina shook her head violently.

"I don't need my ring, if that's what you're saying...," the redhead looked ready to burst into tears. Tsunade's expression softened.

_I keep forgetting she missed out on the last fifteen years. Minato's death must really be fresh in her mind still. But..._

"I was talking about your sword, Kushina," There was silence for a moment.

"Oh," Kushina's expression darkened considerably, "That thing should probably stay in the ground. I have no interest in re-pursuing my career as a ninja anyway," Tsunade's eyes widened.

"But your the 'Crimson Death'! With you back in the game, no one would dare threaten Konoha again!," Kushina looked away.

"The 'Crimson Death' died October tenth fifteen years ago, Tsunade," Kushina rose from her seat and walked towards the door. She opened it, but paused to turn her head, her visible eye brimming with tears. Tsunade was too stunned to protest, "I'm a mother now, and I'm going to make up for the time I've lost by being there for my son. If Konoha is in dire peril I'll do what I can. But my days as a ninja are over," The sound of the door closing sounded like an explosion in the silent office. Tsunade didn't do anything for a while, reflecting on what had just occurred as the morning faded into midday. Her meditation on the subject was interrupted by a sharp knock.

"Enter!," the door opened and one of the chunin assigned to the hawk's nest entered the office.

"Hokage-sama. A message from Iwa," Tsunade became more attentive as she took the scroll. Her eyes darted over its contents. After a moment, Tsunade nodded and dismissed the messenger. When she was alone again, she couldn't help but mutter.

"You've got balls, Kaoru. I'll admit that."

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Naruto sulked as he stuffed more ramen noodles in his mouth.

"What's wrong Naruto-kun?," the blonde looked up, meeting Ayame's concerned gaze. He sighed as he placed his elbows on the counter, looking at his food sullenly.

"Hinata's gone on a mission and she won't be back for a few days. You know, before I realized I liked her, I used to be just fine on my own. Now though, it almost hurts when Hinata isn't around...," Ayame smiled a little sadly.

"I know how that feels...," Naruto's eyes widened, then narrowed as sly smile formed on his whiskered face, "What?"

"When did you get a boyfriend, Ayame-nee-chan?," she started to blush and stutter, obviously caught off guard. A huge hand suddenly clamped onto Naruto's shoulder.

"Since I asked her out," Lloyd answered menacingly, squeezing the blonde's shoulder so hard as to cause a popping sound, "And if you give her or me any grief, or blab about it openly, well you won't have to worry about certain things in the future. Like children," Naruto visibly gulped, "Now git," Naruto quickly slammed down the money for his food, and bolted out of the stand faster than he had moved in any battle. Lloyd laughed softly as he turned back to Ayame, only to receive a stern look. Lloyd slouched and gave her a confused expression, "What?," Ayame rolled her eyes and shook her head as she went into the back. Lloyd looked for answers from Teuchi, but the old man simply smiled and shook his head.

"She has a soft spot for Naruto. Bullying him like that in front of her will probably earn you a one-way ticket to the couch," Lloyd sighed and slumped as he sat down.

"One bowl of miso," Teuchi nodded and went to work.

"Where are your students?," The old man asked as he began to strain the noodles. Lloyd smirked.

"Training. You see, I took them out into the woods blindfolded. Beforehand I had set up this orienteering course, and the goal is to find their way through the course with only a map and the sun as a guide. Once they get back to town, they need to find me, the 'target', wherever I am in the village," Teuchi nodded as he set Lloyd's order in front of him, "I'm just stopping here for a quick bite before I go to my hiding place."

"Sounds a little reckless, don't you think? Leaving your students alone in the woods," Lloyd shook his head as he broke the disposable chopsticks apart.

"They're strong and smart. The orienteering will be a breeze but time consuming, but the real test is to find me in the city. I mean this place is hu-"

"There he is!," the shout of his female student startled Lloyd so much that he lost his balance and fell flat on his back. When he opened his eyes he saw his students, two grinning and one smirking, peering down at him, "Told ya he'd be here. He said he liked ramen, and his crush works here too. That makes this the first place to look. Right, sensei?," Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"How did you get through the course so quickly?," Aoi's smile widened as she glanced towards Akira. The black haired boy shrugged.

"I was dropping beads through a hole in my pocket since we had left the village to mark our trail. That way we didn't have to go through that pointless orienteering course," Lloyd's gaze shifted to the side.

"Damn kids...," he muttered while Teuchi chuckled in the background.

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"Is something the matter, Temari?," the Suna woman turned to face her younger brother.

"No, Kazekage-sama. Please continue," the Kazekage's light green eyes pierced into her with more intensity than usual. Combined with his blood-red hair, the kanji on his brow, and an ice cold expression, Sabaku no Gaara gave off a rather frightening aura.

"That's a lie, Temari. You only refer to me by my title when something is on your mind," Temari mentally prepared her response, but Gaara wasn't done, "And you always seem to be looking to the East when I find you in this state," She felt her heart rate increase. She thought the whole situation was ironic.

_Three years ago Gaara wouldn't have cared if I suddenly dropped dead. Now he's playing the perceptive little brother. Not that I miss the old him._

"I can't see what you mean, Gaara," Gaara closed his ringed eyes and sighed, the extremely rare display of emotion surprised Temari.

"It's about the Nara," he rasped as he resumed his stone-cold demeanor. Now Temari was sure her heart was going to explode out of her chest, hop onto Gaara's desk, and do a jig, "He's a good man, Temari. I have no objection to you seeing him," she relaxed somewhat, "I'm just curious as to where your planning to take this relationship. You know the laws concerning this matter. If you choose to marry him-"

"-I have to move to Konoha. I know, Gaara."

"Not only that, but you must give up your career as a shinobi, and you aren't allowed to pass on any of your techniques to your ch-"

"I know Gaara! You think I haven't thought of this! Don't insult me! I've considered every factor and outcome, and honestly I don't know what I want out of this yet! Someday I may know, but for right now I like things the way they are!," the room went deathly silent. Temari could feel the sting of tears in her eyes, and her brother's intense gaze only made things worse. But he quickly nodded.

"I just wanted to make sure you understand the ramifications this relationship could produce. We will discuss this matter later. Dismissed," Gaara then opened one of the files on his desk. Temari stood, bowed, and left without a sound. She mentally berated herself as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

_Damn you, Shikamaru. You turned me into a crybaby! But Gaara's right. So I guess the question would be 'Is my relationship with Shikamaru more important to me than my career and future as a kunoichi?' _

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"Is everything prepared?"

"Yes Kaoru-sama," Kaoru smiled as he looked over Iwa one more time. The village proper was a series of interconnecting caves built into a plateau, which the founders of the village had expanded into a full-blown underground metropolis. The cave's lighting came from numerous holes in the ceilings, the natural light of the sun was then reflected by an elaborate system of mirrors which illuminated even the most remote corners of the village. The Tsuchikage mansion was a palace, constructed completely out of materials that had been produced by the village's own extensive mining operation. The main square of Iwa was situated before the Tsuchikage's residence, the ground displayed the mighty visages of leaders past. Kaoru made his way from his perch on the massive marble staircase of the mansion to the center of the square, where a full bodyguard detail was waiting. He stopped to address them.

"Alright, let's move out! I want to be at the first rest point by sunset!"

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama!," Kaoru smiled.

_I'm never going to get tired of hearing that._

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Anko stormed down the street, and the look in her eyes promised death to anyone who stood in her path. Both civilians and shinobi alike parted to give the violet-haired woman as much space as possible. Infants cried, children froze in sheer terror, and grown men broke into cold sweats as her monstrous killing intent bared down upon them.

_I'm gonna kill him!!_, she thought as she saw Kakashi reading his damn smut in front of the bookstore.

"Kakashi!!," The masked jounin turned to face her, his lazy disposition only served to further fuel Anko's wrath. Kakashi's visible eye closed in what Anko knew to be his version of a smile.

"Hello Anko. How may I-"

"I'm pregnant," Kakashi froze solid as his eye shot open, gazing into the far-off distance. The wind blew past them, kicking up some of the dust on the road. Anko thought that the wind would blow Kakashi away at any second. But he quickly regained his composure.

"Well, in that case," Kakashi stated as he snapped his book shut, "I guess I have to take responsibility," he fixed his gaze with hers, and suddenly Anko felt like she was being trapped, "I've been thinking of buying a new apartment, but it's too big for one person. Plus I could really use the company," He smiled again, "Well?," Anko glanced to the side, then closed her eyes and nodded.

"I guess that will do," she quickly shot him an angry glare, "For now."

"Excellent," Kakashi opened his book and began to read again, "Come by my place later so we can talk about this in more detail," He jumped as Anko snatched his book from his hand.

"You won't be needing this anymore," she remarked in a lust filled tone as she dangled the book, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Kakashi barked out a single laugh.

"Guess not."

"Smooth, Kakashi," said jounin looked up to see one of his old students perched on a branch in a nearby tree.

"Shouldn't you be with your precious Sakura?," Sasuke smirked as he dismounted the branch and landed without making a whisper of a sound. Kakashi noticed that his student was wearing long white shorts, and a loose navy shirt with the Uchiha fan emblazoned on the back. It reminded the jounin of Sasuke's old genin outfit, except the sleeves of his shirt were longer and looser like his outfit from Oto.

"All in due time, sensei. But my love life is the least of your concerns," Kakashi sighed.

"I know," he paused as Sasuke walked over to join Kakashi, "I really liked that book," Sasuke face-planted at his sensei's statement.

_Some things never change_, Sasuke thought,_ Especially Kakashi._

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A/N-Several bombs have been dropped, and the aftermath is soon to follow. Please review!


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-I appreciate your kind reviews! Please keep it up! I know I will!

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Anko snuggled into her new couch, basking in the warmth of her boyfriend. It had been a couple of weeks since she had confronted Kakashi with her pregnancy, and they had moved into their new three bedroom apartment. One for the two of them, one a guest room, and one to be converted to a nursery when the time was right.

_I never thought it would be like this..._, Anko sighed wistfully. She heard a masculine chuckle.

"Comfortable?," she opened a single eye and smirked. Kakashi was holding her as she used his muscular chest as a pillow. His gaze was glued on Jiraiya's only book that wasn't full of sex scenes. The green cover showed severe signs of wear, and had obviously been read hundreds of times. It was so worn that the title was no longer legible.

"Why do you where a mask all the time, Kakashi?," Indeed, under his mask Kakashi was devastatingly handsome. Defined jaw-line, high cheek bones. He had all the features of a model.

"Fan-girls."

"Ah," _that explains a lot_, She mused. Fans where an annoyance at the least, and a liability at the worst. Her train of thought suddenly came to the child she was now with. Asking Tsunade-sama for maternity leave was embarrassing, but when she gave up the name of the father, the Hokage actually seemed rather pleased. She rubbed her stomach absently. Only being a couple of weeks along, her flat, toned stomach showed no signs of pregnancy yet. But she could feel the little runt in there, and he wanted...

"Carrots," Kakashi looked from his novel. She gave him a big pouty expression. He closed his eye and nodded with a smile. She always wondered how Kakashi managed to deal with the regular use of only one eye. His left eye, defined by a vertical scar, was actually a transplanted Sharingan eye. But because he wasn't an Uchiha, he couldn't deactivate it. As a result, he had to keep his left eye closed or covered almost constantly to prevent him from accidently pouring chakra into it. Kakashi marked his place and picked himself up off the couch. He pulled up his mask over his face.

"I'll be back soon," he said cheerfully as he opened the door, revealing a downpour of rain.

"Sorry..." she mumbled. Kakashi smiled.

"Don't be. I'm not," Kakashi left Anko with that thought. She smiled and leaned back into the couch.

"Me neither...," She whispered to herself, a rare true smile creeping on her face.

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Akira sighed after he closed the door. He and his team had been hired to do some roof work for an old lady, and they were caught in the rain mid-job. Thankfully Lloyd-sensei jumped in at that point and they managed to finish in the nick of time. He swept his wet hair back, revealing a pair of striking near-gold eyes. He hung up his jacket, and made his way towards the laundry room. After hanging his wet clothes in the drying room, he made his way to his bedroom. There he changed into a standard gi, and then walked to the dojo. The small dojo was void of decoration, save for a wall mirror, a supply closet and a large portrait of his parents.

_Mom...Dad..._, Akira bowed to the picture, then made his way to the supply closet. After strapping on some heavy looking wrist and ankle weights, he took his primary taijutsu stance.

"Those look heavy," the boy whirled towards the entrance battle ready, but after identifying the intruder he dropped his stance.

"How did you get in here?," Lloyd shrugged as he stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm a jounin. Breaking and entering is child's play."

"Then leaving should be even easier," the jounin sighed, turning his head to the picture.

"When did they die?," Akira looked at the floor.

"Three years ago. When Orochimaru attacked...," Lloyd-sensei nodded.

"My sensei was killed then. Assassinated actually. Almost cut in half by a Fuuton jutsu," Akira whipped his head to look at his sensei, his golden eyes filled with rage.

"So what!? He was your sensei! I lost my parents!," the older man closed his eyes.

"Akira, my parents have been dead far longer than yours," the boy stayed silent, "And I had the privilege of watching them being brutally murdered by a man they trusted," Akira was now staring at his sensei.

_He's like me..., _Akira suddenly looked both embarrassed and ashamed.

"Sorry, sensei...," Lloyd just smiled.

"It's okay. By the way, did you set up those alarm seals?," the boy nodded dully, "Those were impressive. Where did you learn to do those?," Akira looked up.

"My dad was a seal master. He did a lot of work on bank and financial security. He taught me a few things before...," Lloyd raised his hand.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I am serious about those seals. You have potential. I really can't train you in taijutsu because of how different our fighting styles are, but I know a lot about seal techniques. I'd be willing to teach you the more advanced stuff," Akira nodded enthusiastically, "Here, show me your arm," Lloyd took out a brush and ink from a pouch on his flak vest. Akira held his arm out after he removed his weights. With unnerving speed and precision, Lloyd applied an intricate number of characters in a circular pattern to the top of the boy's forearm. Akira looked on in wonder even after Lloyd finished, "Okay, now channel some chakra into the seal," Akira did as he was instructed, and the marked arm suddenly fell to the ground. Akira yelped, and pulled his arm off the ground with great difficulty.

"What is this!?," Lloyd chuckled.

"It's a gravity seal," Lloyd lifted up his pant leg, exposing a similar seal on his calf, "It increases the effect of gravity on whatever the seal is applied to. It's a much more efficient alternative to bulky weights, because you can adjust the weight by increasing or decreasing the chakra in the seal. Now try decreasing the amount of chakra," a moment later Akira stopped straining. He inspected the seal thoroughly, memorizing every little detail. He looked to Lloyd.

"Why are you showing me this, sensei?," Lloyd's gaze hardened, and Akira knew that his sensei was about to say something important.

"I'm giving you the tools you'll need to grow strong, Akira. And not only strong in body, but in spirit as well. I know you have a lot of anger because of your parents deaths," Akira looked like he wanted to say something, but Lloyd didn't give him the chance, "I did too. What I'm saying is that you need to channel that anger in positive ways, learn to harness it for the greater good. Not only for yourself, but for Aoi and Naoto, for me, and for Konoha. Do you understand?," the boy looked fierce, resolve dancing in his eyes like golden flames.

"I understand, sensei!," Lloyd smiled.

"Great!," he stood up, "Well, that's all I really wanted to talk about. I'll leave you to your training. But I want you to be able to reproduce that seal by the end of the week."

"Yes sensei," Akira actually sounded excited, barely noticing that his sensei had seemingly vanished in the darkness.

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A cloaked figure moved silently on the old forest road, his footsteps muted by the rain. The figure moved its head side to side as it walked, as if it were looking for something. The figure's invisible gaze locked onto a tree. It approached the tree with haste, and a weathered hand reached from the cloak to feel the inscription. The figure pulled back the hood of the cloak, revealing a man who appeared in his eighties. His face was riddled with scars, and his left eye was grayed with blindness. The other was a fierce blue. His thick white beard shifted as a smile formed on his old face. Tears began to streak out of his good eye.

"(Lloyd...)," the old man pulled the hood over his head, and made his way through the woods. He felt the rush of memories and knowledge not his own, and his smile widened. The energy of the land filled his old body with new life and vitality. He took a deep breath and with a powerful howl leapt into the trees, bounding towards his destination.

Similar events were taking place all throughout the forests surrounding Konoha.

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"How dare he talk to me in such a way! I am Pein, god of the new world to come!," Konan would have sighed in exasperation if such a display of emotion was allowed in Pein's presence. The weather outside matched his foul mood, but then again it was always raining in Ame.

"Calm down, Pein-sama. If the master thinks it's too dangerous to assault Konoha, then it probably is," Pein settled his steel-like eyes on her, causing her to shiver. The Rinnegan eyes were quite an unsettling sight.

"So you agree with him too! Without me you would be dead!," the blue-haired woman approached her only living friend tentatively.

"Nagato...," Pein unleashed an unfathomable amount of killing intent, causing Konan fell to her knees under it's weight and gasp for breath.

"I AM PEIN!! NAGATO IS DEAD!!," With that Pein stormed off, and Konan was able to breathe again. She stared at the floor in silence, the sound of the rain tapping out a depressing song. She was vaguely aware of her tears adding to their own notes to the aria of despair. She looked out the window, not caring about the black streaks of ruined make-up staining her cheeks.

_Now I see why you ran from this country...nee-chan...._

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"Tsunade-sama, the Tsuchikage's convoy has been spotted within ten miles of the village," Tsunade didn't betray any of the anxiousness she was feeling.

"Let them approach Konoha proper. We have business to attend to."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!," The nameless ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke. Tsunade sighed before turning her chair to look out over Konoha like her face on the mountain.

_Time to change the world Kaoru, I just hope you're ready for the consequences._

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"Hey, isn't that Naruto?," Shino turned from the beetle he had discovered, and looked to where Kiba was pointing. Naruto was indeed walking down the street some distance away.

"Yes."

"Why is he wearing a formal yukata?," Kiba tilted his head. Akamaru mimicked his master's gesture.

"It would be rude to pry in other's affairs-"

"Hey! Naruto! What's with the getup?," Shino sighed at his teammate's rudeness. Kiba was a fine friend and comrade, but he was wild, brash, and often did things that were considered, well...

Stupid.

Naruto turned, and made a face. As he approached, one couldn't help but notice that Naruto actually looked nervous under his umbrella.

"What is it, Kiba? I need to get to Hinata's place for dinner," Kiba blinked, then flashed a feral grin.

"Ah. Time to meet daddy, huh?," Naruto gulped and nodded. Kiba laughed, which sounded like a dog barking, "Don't worry about it. Hiashi-sama isn't that bad. He actually thinks you're alright."

"Really?," Kiba nodded to Naruto's question.

"Hell, you helped Hinata find her self confidence. She's like a sister to me, and anyone that helps her is alright in my book. Hinata's father feels the same way."

"Heh. Thanks Kiba, I needed that. See ya," Naruto waved and ran off. Kiba turned to Shino with a smug grin, but Shino's face was hidden by the shadow of his hood.

"One should greet a comrade when they meet..."

"Good luck with that bug, Shino!," The bug user's gaze snapped down the street. Kiba smirked.

_Hinata's changed you too, Naruto. _

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"So how's sensei life treating you?," Itachi smirked at Lloyd's inquiry. Lloyd had invited him to a small bar in the shopping district of Konoha. Itachi would have turned the offer down, but he wanted to talk to Lloyd about a few things.

"I find it quite enjoyable. Have you done the home visitations yet?," Lloyd looked a little sheepish.

"I only had time to visit Akira because of the weather. He lives in one of the bigger houses in the financial district all by himself," Itachi nodded as he downed a small saucer of sake.

"I already finished mine. Kuma comes from a civilian background, and is apparently the first shinobi in the history of his family. Akaji and Sayuri both come from families with extensive military backgrounds."

"Yeah, Akira's father was a seal master," Itachi's eyebrow quirked, "He's shown some skill with seals, so I'm going to encourage his development in that area."

"Seal users are a valuable asset."

"Indeed," Itachi turned to Lloyd, a serious expression adorning his face.

"Lloyd," said jounin looked up, "May I court Dae?," Lloyd's eyes widened, then he smirked.

"You don't need my permission," He shrugged, "Heck, I wish you luck," Itachi smiled, "But why?," Itachi himself shrugged, and Lloyd laughed. Suddenly the Westerner's laughing ceased, and he had this far-off look in his eyes. He smiled.

"What is it?," Itachi asked. Lloyd turned to the Uchiha with a big smile on his face.

"Just some old friends."

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A/N-Things are getting emotional as everything begins to fall into place. Please review!


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto does.

A/N-Chapter 44! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Please review!

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"Medic-nin training?," Lloyd nodded at his student's question.

"Yes, and the sooner the better. Your level of chakra control is a rarity in one so young. You not using it for healing purposes is honestly a waste of resources. Combining medical jutsu with your already considerable arsenal of genjutsu, and you'll be a force on any battlefield," Naoto looked at his sensei in apparent awe.

"You believe that Naoto could reach that level?," Lloyd turned to the boy's father. Sakuraba Renji was the spitting image of his son. Shaggy pale blonde hair fell to the man's shoulders, framing a kind face and blue eyes held that same spark of wisdom as his son's eyes. The man's entire body was rippling with lean muscle, save for the stumps were his legs should be. Renji had apparently lost his legs to an explosive tag trap while on a mission when Naoto was still young. Though rumor had it that in this state he tutored a young Yuuhi Kurenai in the art of genjutsu. Now, despite recently giving birth to her late fiancé's child, she was Konoha's leading authority on genjutsu. Lloyd nodded before answering the older man's inquiry.

"With proper training and the right tutors, anything is possible. As you know, my role as a sensei is make sure Naoto and his teammates survive to reach chunin," Naoto paled a little at that statement, "And for me that means developing not only my student's main talents, but creating new avenues of power for them to explore," Lloyd glanced at the clock, "But we will discuss this another time. Tsunade-sama has requested that I be at her side when the new Tsuchikage arrives for his visit, and she okayed me bringing my students as observers," Renji nodded.

"Naoto, go get ready," the boy quickly took off to his room in the spacious house. Renji watched his son leave the room, then turned back to Lloyd who was now standing, "Take care of him," the older man leaned forward in his wheelchair, looking at his scarred hands as they rested in his lap, "Naoto is all that I have left of his mother," Lloyd's eyes became slightly translucent.

"He won't die on my watch. That's a promise."

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Tsunade tried to relax as she saw Kaoru walking down the road that lead to the North gate, flanked by an entourage of Iwa jounins. She noted that the new Tsuchikage was now wearing a brown leather coat that reached his ankles, the bottom hem lined with orange triangles that resembled a mountain range. On his head was a brand new Iwakagure headband. Tsunade's eyes darted to her sides. On her right was Lloyd and his students. On her left was Itachi and his students. And behind her stood Jiraiya and his imposing six foot frame. Kaoru smiled and spread his arms as he reached the gate.

"Greetings, Hokage-dono!," He said in a loud and cheerful voice.

"Welcome to Konoha, Tsuchikage-dono, we've been expecting you."

"I imagine so."

"If you could come with me we will begin negotiations as soon as possible. Your guard detail is welcome to stay in the village," she raised her voice, "You will all be watched very carefully."

"I assure you my men have been explicitly instructed to be on their best behavior. But before we begin, I would like to take care of something first," Tsunade quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course. Lloyd and his team here will escort you," Kaoru nodded in appreciation, then turned towards the jounin.

"I know the way," With that Kaoru began strolling down the road, with Lloyd, Naoto, Aoi, and Akira walking alongside. Tsunade noted a single orange triangle on the back of his coat, inside of which was the kanji for Earth. Tsunade watched them as they grew smaller with distance, and noticed the direction they were taking. Her eyes widened just slightly.

_This could be bad..._

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When Kaoru stepped into the Dango Inn, he was expecting a number of reactions. What he wasn't expecting was a short Western girl whipping out a pair of pistols, aiming them at his head and...lower.

"Dae!," The girl's eyes snapped to his jounin escort, who looked angry but unsurprised. Kaoru noticed he was Western as well, "Put those away NOW!," The girl looked rebellious, but she stowed her weapons. The jounin sighed in exasperation, "Make this quick," Kaoru nodded, and approached a very frightened Miki. He then surprised everyone by dropping to his knees and bowing.

"I'm sorry for using that jutsu on you. I never wanted to hurt you. I foolishly thought that I had no alternative, and I hope in time you come to forgive me," Everyone seemed taken aback by such a public display. Lloyd and his students looked downright flabbergasted. Kaoru didn't move, waiting for Miki's response.

"Get up," the girl mumbled. Kaoru craned his head to look up at the girl, who was flushed with embarrassment. Kaoru stood, and the girl began to glare at him, "I haven't forgiven you, you know!," He looked hurt, but seemed to understand. Lloyd spoke up.

"We have to get going," Kaoru nodded, bowed to the girl again, then took his leave. Lloyd nodded to his sister, and he and his students followed. Dae snorted in contempt.

"Are they gone?," Dae looked to Miki, who was still red in the face.

"Yeah..."

"I can't believe he did that...," Dae nodded.

"Probably just trying to lay his guilt to re-," She stopped when she noticed Miki was smiling wistfully.

"So romantic..."

"Miki!," Dae yelled. Miki whipped her head to meet Dae's gaze.

"What?," Dae sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Miki rolled her eyes, "Oh like you have any room to criticize me, Dae. You haven't even been on a date yet," Dae slumped.

"I believe I can remedy that," Everyone looked to the door to see Uchiha Itachi walking into the restaurant. He marched straight up to Dae, took her hand, and gently kissed it, "That is, if you'll allow me the privilage," At first Dae was frozen stiff in shock, but she quickly regained her composure, albeit sporting a very heavy blush.

"S-sure, Itachi-san," the Uchiha smirked.

"Then I'll pick you up tonight at six o' clock sharp. I look forward to it, Dae," And with that Itachi released her hand and walked out of the restaurant, leaving everyone, including Dae, stunned speechless.

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Tsunade looked on the Konoha council as Kaoru entered the audience chamber. The council consisted not only of elders, but of elected officials which represented the various business industries, as well as the heads of every clan in Konoha. Most of the council maintained their composure, but one or two of the elder members looked a little outraged at what was going to take place. Kaoru bowed deeply to the council, then took a seat facing Tsunade. Between the two kages was a large table, littered with several tomes, scrolls and maps. Tsunade silently wondered how Kaoru was able to keep his cool when facing not only her imposing presence, but the stares of the village council directly behind her. Kaoru leaned on the table.

"Alright," Kaoru said with a smile, "All of you are probably wondering why I'm here and what I want. Well it's simple really. I want a military alliance between Iwa and Konoha."

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"Hey runt!," Naruto and Kushina turned to see Jiraiya waving at them down the road. The Toad Sage strolled up to the Uzumaki's, a small toad perched on his shoulder. Naruto smiled.

"Pa! How you doing?," the toad smiled.

"Good, Naruto-chan. And Kushina, it's certainly been a while," the redhead smiled.

"Same to you Fukusaku," Naruto looked back and forth between the toads and his mother.

"You guys know each other?," Kushina smiled sadly.

"Minato had the toad contract."

"Oh," the four of them stood in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke up, "What do you need, Ero-sennin?"

"Ah yes," Jiraiya straightened himself out, "Naruto, how would you feel about more training?," the teen perked up.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Sage training," Kushina's eyes widened.

"You don't mean-"

"We think it would be for the best, given the situation," Pa stated. Pa was a toad the size of a football, with a small tuft of grey hair on the top of his head and extremely thick eyebrows, "With this training, Naruto-chan will be able to protect himself from Pein," Jiraiya nodded in agreement.

"Will you be there, Ero-sennin?"

"No. I have to stay hear to deter Pein from taking any action directly against the village," Naruto looked down, "But don't worry. You'll be in good hands."

"When do I leave?"

"First thing tomorrow," Jiraiya squinted and grinned lewdly, "Why? Wanna get see Hinata for a quick f-," the older man was cut off when Naruto planted a powerful fist in his gut. At the same time, Kushina gave Jiraiya a swift kick to the groin. The man crumpled to the ground, grabbing himself in pain.

"Old perv," Naruto mumbled before leaping out of the area. Pa and Kushina laughed loudly at Jiraiya's pain.

"You reap what you sow, eh Jiraiya-chan?," Jiraiya shifted painfully to glare at the elder toad.

"S-shut up."

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"Shiba Kona-san?," Lloyd asked the woman who answered the door. She was in her late thirties, with long blue hair and dark eyes. She wore a simple house dress and apron. She smiled as she saw him.

"You must be the infamous Lloyd-sensei. Come in, my husband will be home shortly," Lloyd smiled, secretly noticing the woman's foreign dialect, and entered the small house.

"Infamous?," Lloyd asked as he removed his sandals. Kona smirked, then walked to the bottom of the stairs.

"Aoi! Your sensei is here!," almost immediately the pounding of footsteps could be heard, and Aoi quickly barreled down the steps. Lloyd noticed a small face peeking from the second floor.

"Come on, Sorako! Come meet Lloyd-sensei!," The small girl timidly made her way down the staircase. Sorako had the same green eyes as her sister, which went well with her long jet black hair done in pigtails. Lloyd guessed that the little girl was about six or so, seeing as she was wearing a simple dress holding a teddy bear to her chest. She shyly made her way down the stairs, quickly darting to hide behind her older sister, "She's a little shy," The front door opened.

"I'm home," In walked a man with short black hair and sea-foam green eyes. His arms were thick and tanned from what Lloyd figured was a lifetime of manual labor. The man was wearing a tight sweat soaked shirt under a pair of denim overalls. He looked confused for a second, but he smiled warmly and held out his hand, "Ah. You must be Lloyd," Lloyd smiled and shook the man's hand, noting the vice-like grip.

"And you must be Aoi's father. Good to meet you."

"Name's Jizo," said Aoi's father. He then gestured to the living room, "Make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Lloyd made his way to the living room, which had a very cosy feel. Aoi and her family followed shortly. Lloyd took a seat on a wooden chair. Aoi, Sorako, and their mother sat down on the couch, while Jizo sank into a recliner.

"Now how may we help you, Lloyd-san," Lloyd nodded and leaned forward in his seat.

"Well, as a jounin sensei I'm required to visit the homes of my students and evaluate their living situations. This information will help me get an understanding of my students and how to optimize their training to their lifestyles," Jizo nodded in understanding, "They also allow me to inform the genin's families on the dangers of shinobi life," Kona paled.

"Dangers?," Lloyd nodded solemnly.

"Shinobi life is extremely hazardous. Which is why all genin are under the care of jounin sensei like me. My job is not only to make Aoi and her teammates stronger, but to protect them in times of peril. I accompany them on all their missions until they make the rank of chunin. At that point they're responsible for their own development," Aoi's eyes widened, but she kept quiet, "Also, I'm obliged to ask about your family background, mainly in terms of shinobi ancestors," Jizo looked up in contemplation, then shook his head.

"There were no shinobi on my side of the family, but we're not sure about Kona's," Kona nodded while stroking Sorako's head.

"Because she's a refugee from Ame, right?," Kona whipped her head to meet Lloyd's gaze.

"How...?"

"You dialect," Kona looked a little frightened. Lloyd waved his hand in a dismissive way, "You have nothing to fear. Konoha is very open to refugees from Ame, seeing as we laid waste to the land in the Second Great Shinobi War. But we're getting off topic. I agree that Aoi probably inherited the ability to mold chakra from her mother's side of the family. Kona-san, can you mold chakra at all?," Kona shook her head.

"Okay. Now, do you have any open spaces where Aoi could train."

"'Fraid not. All we have is the house," Lloyd nodded.

"That's fine. I'm saying this because both of her teammates have privately owned training facilities. I'll be able to reserve a training ground for her when she want's, so you don't have to worry about it," Lloyd glanced at the hanging clock, "Well I must be going," Lloyd stood, as well as Jizo.

"Well, thank you for visiting," Lloyd smiled as he put on his sandals.

"Not a problem."

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A/N-Naruto will begin his sage training, and Kaoru begins peace negotiations with Konoha. Please review!


	45. Author's Note

Greetings true believers,

After a long battle with academics I will soon have time to start writing again. After looking over both my stories, I've decided that it would be in my best interest to scrap and rewrite The Beginning. My skills have improved significantly since I last posted a chapter, and I believe that the story would benefit from having a writer who knows what he is doing. So keep an eye out for the first chapter of The Beginning rewrite!

Sincerely,

Kyuubigan


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